Global warming could increase risk of human-elephant conflict, researchers say

Risks for conflict between elephants and humans could increase in the future due to climate change and other human-caused environmental factors, according to a new study.

The risks for conflict between elephants and humans could increase in the future due to climate change and other human-caused environmental factors, according to new research.

In one of the first studies to look at how rising global temperatures will affect interactions between humans and another large mammal species, researchers mapped human–elephant conflict risk in elephant habitats. The findings show that instances of conflict will likely occur more often as temperatures rise and suitable elephant habitats are encroached upon, according to a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers compared data on human population density, cropland density and Asian and African elephant range, finding that conflict risk increased for both African and Asian elephants by 2050 under various scenarios, Patrick Roehrdanz, director for climate change and biodiversity Conservation International, and environmental nonprofit, told ABC News.

For the purpose of the paper, human-elephant conflict is defined as interactions between humans and elephants that have negative outcomes for either party, Mia Guarnieri, wildlife biologist and lead researcher of the paper, told ABC News. One example is crop raiding, in which elephants eat crops and prompt retaliatory killings by farmers, Guarnieri said.