Research overview: human-carnivore coexistence interventions

Reducing conflict between people and big cats is essential for coexistence, and a wide range of interventions has been developed and tested. This overview surveys research evaluating these measures, which span improved livestock husbandry, predator-proof enclosures, guarding animals, deterrents, compensation and insurance, and conflict-response teams. Studies assess which interventions actually reduce livestock losses and retaliatory killing, and which merely shift or fail to address conflict, emphasizing the importance of rigorous evaluation rather than assuming popular measures work. Researchers stress matching interventions to local context and combining technical fixes with attention to attitudes and incentives. The overview frames coexistence intervention as a practical, evidence-seeking field at the heart of carnivore conservation in shared landscapes. It matters because the future of big cats increasingly depends on lands they share with people, where the success of coexistence measures determines whether predators are tolerated or eliminated by those who bear the costs of living with them.