Merz, L., Kahler, J., Mwale, G., & Child, B. (2024). “Although elephants bring problems, they also bring benefits:” The complexities of human-wildlife coexistence. Stacks Journal, 24001, 1-26. DOI: 10.60102/stacks-24001
Article first published online: 3 July 2024 in Stacks Journal.
ABSTRACT: As wildlife populations decline globally, there is a growing need to discover ways that humans and wildlife can sustainably coexist in shared landscapes. One way to assess the potential for human-wildlife coexistence is by examining human attitudes, perceptions, and tolerance of wildlife. However, the relationships between these interlinked concepts are not always clear. Furthermore, much of the research on human tolerance of wildlife to date fails to assess differences across species. Here, we use a novel application of ethnoecological methodologies(including free-listing and pile-sorting) to assess local people ’s attitudes toward and tolerance of a variety of wildlife species. We conducted our study in Mukungule Game Management Area outside North Luangwa National Park in Zambia.