Identifying and Quantifying Conflicts Between Humans and Terrestrial Mammals in Great Britain

Abstract

Introduction

Interactions between humans and wildlife often cause conflict, and identifying these is essential for informed decision-making.

Aims

We identified conflicts associated with British terrestrial mammals to assess their impacts.

Methods

We conducted a literature review to identify relevant articles, categorised as economic, health, environmental or social, which were ranked using a Generic Impact Scoring System (GISS).

Results and Discussion

We identified 48 species associated with 200 conflicts. Sika deer were involved in the most conflicts. The highest ranked conflicts were measurable on an economic scale (involving rabbits, badgers, brown rats, grey squirrels), with the total estimated cost of economic conflicts exceeding £0.5 billion. The most common conflicts were reservoirs of disease and zoonotic disease, with non-native species scoring statistically higher than native species for the latter. Generally, we scored these conflicts low, deemed localised and mild, but highlighted the importance of surveillance to monitor disease spread. Potential impact increased as a function of biomass and population size; therefore, a GISS may identify species capable of expanding beyond their current range, such as recently reintroduced beavers.

Recommendations

A GISS is useful for identifying conflict species, but there is the need to understand the value of British wildlife. We identified costs-to-benefit trade-offs for several high-impact species, which underlie human-conflict and/or coexistence and are critical for informed decision-making. As one in four British mammal species face local extinction, the emphasis could encourage focus away from conflict resolution to acceptance and/or tolerance where wildlife and people coexist.