Human–wildlife conflict and insurance: can insurance reduce the costs of living with wildlife?
Developing solutions for human–wildlife conflict is an urgent conservation priority. This threat to coexistence between humans and animals is particularly serious in developing countries, where population growth significantly impacts traditional wildlife ranges. Tried and tested approaches to conflict resolution include schemes to financially offset affected individuals for their loss. To succeed, these schemes need to ensure cost-effective verification, fair and timely payments, incentives for damage prevention and financial sustainability. This paper reviews how existing wildlife insurance programmes and agricultural microinsurance schemes have addressed these challenges.
