Geospatial Identification of Human–Wildlife Conflict Hotspots in the Southern Western Ghats

Pavithra, G.M. and Venkataramana, G.V. and Vazeed, P. S. and Reddy,, C. S. and Swarada, B. and Dadhwal, V.K. (2025) Geospatial Identification of Human–Wildlife Conflict Hotspots in the Southern Western Ghats. Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, 53 (12). ISSN 0255660X

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Abstract

It is crucial to understand the spatio-temporal dynamics of human–wildlife conflict (HWC) due to its serious consequences. This study analysed 34,596 unprecedented, geotagged HWC data points from the Southern Western Ghats of Karnataka, collected from 2019 to 2023. The data were categorized into human–elephant conflicts (HEC), human–carnivore conflicts (HCC), and other types. To identify the factors influencing these conflicts, we integrated various geospatial layers, including land use land cover (LULC), tree loss data, digital elevation model (DEM), road network, and settlements. We employed a range of geoprocessing and visualization tools such as spatial grid analysis, clustering, kernel density estimation, optimized hotspots, and spatial interpolation using kriging. Elephants, tigers, leopards, wild boars, and gaurs contributed to 99.6% of incidences, with HEC accounting for 92.1% of incidents and 87.4% of the total compensation. Key impacting factors included a loss of 5741 hectares of tree cover over the past two decades (at a rate of 261 ha/year), road network (53%), elevation between 1000–1500 m (86%), and settlements. Elephants were responsible for all types of damages across all proximities. The spatially explicit HWC field data demonstrated significant advantages over the conventional approaches. The generated HWC clusters and hotspots provide valuable insights for effective HWC management practices. These hotspots are crucial for strategic planning and can be effectively applied to other similar landscapes globally. © Indian Society of Remote Sensing 2025.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Conflict mitigation; Geospatial analysis; Hotspot; Human–wildlife conflict
Subjects:	B Life Science > Environmental Science
Divisions:	Department of > Environmental Science
Depositing User:	Vasantha library uom
Date Deposited:	21 Nov 2025 10:30
Last Modified:	21 Nov 2025 10:30
URI:	http://eprints.uni-mysore.ac.in/id/eprint/17982

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