Human–wildlife conflict and local community attitudes towards wildlife conservation in Konta Special District, southwest Ethiopia
2025
Understanding local communities’ attitudes towards wildlife conservation is important for policymakers and conservationists in implementing sustainable wildlife conservation strategies. The present study was undertaken to assess local communities’ attitudes towards wildlife conservation and the types of human–wildlife conflict (HWC) in the Konta Special District (KSD). A total of 95 household respondents were randomly selected for questionnaire interviews from two study kebeles. In addition, focus group discussions (FGD) and personal observations were used to collect qualitative data. Descriptive statistics and the chi-square test were applied to analyze the data. Overall, 51.6% of the respondents reported both crop damage and livestock depredation as the main types of HWC. The respondents ranked baboons (95.8%) and monkeys (65.5%) as the principal wildlife responsible for property damage. Habitat loss (75.6%) was reported as the main threat to wildlife existence. A total of 91.6% of the respondents expressed a positive attitude towards wildlife conservation, and there was no statistically significant difference between study kebeles, sex, or education level of respondents. Guarding (75.8%) was identified as the dominant traditional method used to reduce damage. Development activities should not compromise wildlife conservation goals. Employing effective protection methods and providing alternative livelihoods such as ecotourism, beekeeping, and livestock fattening were recommended to ensure coexistence between humans and wildlife and to promote sustainable development in the KSD.
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