Abstract:[Objectives] Damage from large carnivores often deteriorates the relationship between humans and wildlife, which is not beneficial for biodiversity protection. Zoige wetland, one of China’s three most important wetlands, is rich in biodiversity and has a developed livestock industry. However, livestock losses due to wolf (Canis lupus) attacks have happened frequently in recent years. [Methods] To understand the spatial distribution of human-wolf conflicts and the herders’ views on human-wolf conflict management, we visited and investigated 83 villages of 13 towns in Ruoergai County in 2022 (Fig. 1). We surveyed local herders (n = 341) to analyze the trend of the wolf population in Ruoergai County in the past five years and the number of human-wolf conflicts in the past two years. Using multinomial logistic regression, we analyze the key factors influencing the herders’ preferences of human-wolf conflict management. [Results] The results showed that:(1) most respondents (66.0%) reported a perceived increase in the wolf population over the past 5 years; (2) the human-wolf conflict has significant spatial differentiation and was more severe in Baozuo Town (Fig. 2). Baozuo Town is located near mountainous areas with large grazing areas and high concentration of livestock, which has more incidence of human-wolf conflict than other areas; (3) most respondents (85.0%) preferred the measures of compensating and driving off the wolves, while only a few (9.4%) preferred killing wolves; (4) the education level, age, ethnic group and the number of livestock loss significantly influence the herders’ preferences of human-wolf conflict management (Table 1). [Conclusion] Therefore, we suggest enhancing the monitoring of the wolf population, adopting measures to decrease wolf attacks, and optimizing compensation for wildlife accidents. Our study provides a direct basis for current wildlife conservation and management decisions in Ruoergai County and has implications for the management of conflicts between large carnivores and residents in other regions.
