Abstract 991 – Conservation Actions Towards Human–Sloth Bear Conflict Mitigation in Central Gujarat

Nishith Dharaiya and Marcel Alaze

Human–wildlife conflict is an international issue that involves a host of wildlife species across
most regions of the world. Conflicts may lead to property damage, livestock casualties, and
human injuries, creating increased antagonism and retaliation towards specific wildlife species
in the local community; this may pose a significant challenge to conservation of these conflict-
prone species. The sloth bear is known for attacking people, and sometimes damaging their
crops, and as such, often has a negative reputation in local communities living near this species.
As India's human population rises, there has been an increase in humans using the same
resources as sloth bears, resulting in more negative interactions (including killing of bears).
Here we address the rising conflict between humans and sloth bears in the state of Gujarat, at
the westernmost extent of sloth bear range. We have been concerned over a shift towards
negative community perspectives towards sloth bears over time. The government and other
organizations have launched several community awareness campaigns, but the majority of
them have been ineffective in changing people's attitudes about sloth bears. According to our
research, the majority of awareness campaigns employ reading materials, picture books, and
audiovisuals as awareness tools; however, they rarely result in concrete action. Since 2020, we
have conducted over 50 outreach and awareness programs in 56 villages in central Gujarat,
focussing on places with a significant recent surge in sloth bear populations and human attacks.
We started action-based conservation programs in 2023, including bear safety education
demonstrations, distribution of bear deterrent-sticks (to ward off attacks), building water
accumulation sites (so sloth bears do not enter villages to hydrate), village consultation
meetings (advising how to reduce sloth bear encounters and gaining their ideas to deal with the
situation), planting fruit trees, and developing a standard operating procedure (SOP) for
handling conflict situations. We believe that our conservation initiatives and their
implementation have been remarkably successful in reshaping the local community's mindset
and fostering greater tolerance for coexisting with sloth bears. Our work has involved 3 of the 5 components of the Species Conservation Cycle: “Acting”, “Networking” and “Communicating”
to conserve the sloth bears in India.