Research overview: mapping attack hotspots to target conflict mitigation

This overview synthesises research using spatial analysis to identify hotspots where big-cat attacks on livestock or people concentrate, enabling targeted mitigation. It reviews methods, kernel density estimation, cluster analysis, and hotspot statistics applied to georeferenced incident records, across lion, leopard, tiger, and other systems, to reveal that conflict is rarely uniform but clusters at predictable locations. The literature shows how mapping hotspots lets managers focus fences, deterrents, response teams, and outreach where they matter most, improving cost-effectiveness. The survey frames hotspot mapping as a foundational analytical tool that transforms scattered incident reports into actionable spatial priorities, though it depends on reliable, well-located reporting and careful interpretation of underlying drivers.