BRIEFING PAPER: Human-Wildlife Coexistence in Botswana and Beyond: Drivers, Impacts, and Response Mechanisms

In many rural areas globally, interactions between people and wildlife are a normal part of daily life. However, these interactions become a serious concern when they threaten human safety, undermine livelihoods, or place wildlife populations at risk. Rapid population growth, climate change, and increasing environmental pressures are intensifying competition over land and natural resources, making peaceful coexistence more difficult to sustain. As a result, communities are bearing rising social and economic costs, including crop losses, livestock predation, property damage, and the financial burden associated with compensation schemes and wildlife control measures.

This Briefing Paper introduces the subject from different perspectives and within the broader socio-economic and ecological context, drawing from experiences in Botswana, wider African region, the European Union and beyond. It underscores the critical role of informed legislative, policy, and oversight action in addressing the complex and evolving challenges associated with human–wildlife interactions.