Living on the Precipice: Perceptions of Human-Tiger Conflict in India and the Long Road to Coexistence
Category: Community Engagement Poster
Author(s): Ellie Lutz
Presenter(s): Ellie Lutz
Mentors(s): Veronica Yovovich
Human-tiger conflict is a pressing and wicked issue that has received extensive scholarly investigation. A great deal of analysis and research has been dedicated to understanding the diverse stakeholders involved and identifying pathways that incorporate their varied values, perceptions, and beliefs. Through a targeted literature review, this project synthesizes key differences and similarities in stakeholder perspectives to develop a hypothetical yet pragmatic wildlife management plan that balances these values while still forging a path forward for human-tiger coexistence in India. Grounded in the principles of collaborative conservation and various human-wildlife, particularly human-carnivore, coexistence practices, this project seeks to demonstrate that while conflict may never be fully resolved, it can be mitigated to a level that ensures most stakeholders feel heard and allows coexistence to remain a viable, though arduous, endeavor.