Research overview: participatory and community-based conflict mapping

This overview examines participatory approaches in which affected communities themselves map where, when, and how big-cat conflict occurs, combining local knowledge with spatial tools. It synthesises methods from community-drawn risk maps to smartphone reporting and citizen-science incident logging, and how these build trust, improve data quality, and empower residents in management. The literature discusses integrating participatory data with formal GIS analysis, the validation challenges, and how shared mapping can defuse blame by making patterns visible. The survey frames participatory conflict mapping as both an analytical method and a social process, generating actionable spatial knowledge while strengthening the community engagement on which durable coexistence depends.