US: Predator-human conflicts (predator-caused human injuries and property damages) are commonly thought of as situations that result in lethal consequences for animals. Wildlife biologist, Seth Wilson used a suite of tools to reduce such conflicts. The suite of tools includes GIS maps of ranch operations.
In an interview with National Geographic, Wilson said, “One of the initial efforts that I started was to sit down with ranchers across the Blackfoot Valley (in Montana, the US) and map out their ranch operations using GIS. These one-on-one mapping sessions helped me understand how each ranch might be at more or less risk to grizzly bear conflict based on where attractants were located in relation to bear habitat.”
Wilson added, “The GIS mapping helped build trust with the ranching community and together we initiated projects like livestock carcass removal. I think that one of the benefits of the mapping was that we could collectively see the extent at which attractants like bone yards were distributed in the landscape and that it would take a community level response to tackle the problem at the right scale.”
According to Wilson, the annual cost of this activity is approximately USD 12,000, or about USD 15/carcass.
Source: National Geographic
