In Kurt village near Altay city in Xinjiang province, an increasing human-wildlife conflict is threatening the habitat balance. During the past two years farmers have witnessed an increasing frequency of wild boars damaging crops of potatoes in search for food.
Wild boars are listed in the National Wildlife Protected Class 2, which bans poaching of this species. According to the reports from villagers, laws have been obeyed so far, however a sustained sharp increase in wild boars population is going to threaten the survival of farming economy in the region.
When they target one field in herds of 40-50 "their destructive force is worse than a bulldozer!" says farmer Asa Te Khan. Villagers report having tried to drive away boars with fences and firecrackers, but with little success so far.
Human-wildlife conflict is increasingly frequent in rural areas of China. The expansion of human settlements and land claim for agriculture are responsible for compressing natural habitats, compromising the availability of food/prey for wildlife. The increased competition for natural resources makes wildlife-human interactions more frequent, eventually turning farmers and herders against wildlife.
WCS works with local communities to ensure a sustainable economic development in and around the natural landscapes of North-east China and Changtang, Tibet. We assess the specific needs of the communities, and agree with farmers/herders on the most effective conflict mitigation measures. While the implementation phase is supported by WCS technically and financially, we ensure adequate training is provided to local inhabitants in order to enable them to maintain and extend the adoption of these measures autonomously in the future.
Read more about our community-based conservation on http://china.wcs.org/News/StoriesfromtheField.aspx
News source: http://news.ts.cn/content/2013-11/29/content_9007024.htm
Resources competitions fosters increasing interaction between wildlife and human settlements. This pictures refers to another case of a wild boar reaching a residential area searching for food in Taiyuan, Shangxi province. Source.