Human resettlement and tiger conservation – Socio-economic assessment of pastoralists reveals a rare conservation opportunity in a human-dominated landscape

摘要: Resettlement of people for conservation is a contentious issue, but remains an important policy conserving species like tigers which require vast, inviolate habitats. Recommendations to resettle communities should ideally be supported with careful evaluation the needs wildlife, socio-economic characteristics dependent and their attitudes, we present one such case study. Using semi-structured questionnaire survey 158 households across gradient tiger occupancy, found overwhelming preference resettlement among pastoralist Gujjars hence unexpected opportunity expand areas in western Terai Arc Landscape. The main ‘push factors’ identified were declining forest productivity adversely affecting incomes lack access education health facilities. Thus, our findings represent rare instance where excessive extraction natural resources, recognized detrimental biodiversity, also primary driver resettlement. desire was re-enforced by losses livestock diseases (72.7%) carnivores (25.1%), uncompensated 89% cases, positive experiences from previously resettled households. Demand uniformly strong regardless local suggest that funding prioritized high occupancy areas, given higher depredation possibilities conflict. Our findings, therefore, novel landscape-level strategy takes account circumstances predator pressure, could build constituency consistent national global objectives.