Research overview: tigers at the village and city edge in South Asia

Tigers occasionally range to the edges of villages, towns and agricultural land bordering reserves such as the Sundarbans and central Indian parks, creating acute conflict in densely populated South Asia. This overview synthesises research on tiger use of human-adjacent habitat, the drivers of attacks and livestock depredation, and the management of dispersal through fragmented mosaics between protected areas. It examines coexistence measures including barriers, early-warning systems, compensation and corridor protection, and contrasts the tiger limited tolerance of people with the leopard far greater flexibility. The synthesis frames tiger-edge conflict as a high-stakes test of coexistence at the boundary of reserves and human settlement.