A Perspective on Twenty Years of Human-Leopard Conflict in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India with Sustainable Solutions for its Mitigation

Human leopard conflict poses a significant conservation challenge in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, India, with 290 reported human leopard conflict incidents between 2000 and 2020, averaging 13.81 incidents annually. The most affected age group were adults followed by children with a noticeable increase in incidents in winter. Key factors driving this conflict include habitat degradation, loss of prey, and human encroachment on forest areas. Interestingly, the Gadoli and Manda Khal Fee Simple Estates, an area undergoing ecological restoration, by forest protection through foot patrols, fire watches and passive forest restoration (natural regeneration) within this human leopard conflict hotspot, reported no incidents during the same timeframe, highlighting the positive impact of habitat focused interventions for mitigating human leopard conflict. In contrast, reactive measures such as lethal control lack precision, targeted protocols and long term efficacy. This study emphasizes ecological restoration as a sustainable strategy for mitigating conflict and calls for improved monitoring of leopard populations, prey species, and habitat conditions. It also offers recommendations for effective conflict management in the region, stressing the advantages of restoration over reactive approaches.