Human-Wildlife Conflict Aggravated by Climate Crisis

Human-wildlife conflict is becoming an increasing concern as human activity encroaches on natural habitats due to climate change. Find out how a new study involving elephants shows how we can plan for and minimize these tensions in the future.

My ancestors settled in Canada back in 1850. One of their main activities when they first arrived was what they called “the chopping.”

They and their neighbours gradually cleared away huge tracts of virgin forest. Then they took all that irreplaceable timber and burned it in huge bonfires, making no use of the heat or light from them.

These old-growth forests included sugar maple, beech, hemlock, oak and basswood trees. Losing them led to the disappearance of wolves, grey foxes, elk, wooodland caribou and passenger pigeons among many other species. Whenever animals like wolves, foxes and bears threatened livesock, settlers hunted them to extinction.

New Forests Don’t Have the Same Diversity

Although conservation authorities have done some reforestation, those new forests don’t have the same biodiversity as the ones my ancestors…