Spatiotemporal patterns of human and wild boar conflicts in rural China and its implications for social-ecological systems coevolution

doi:10.1007/s11442-023-2145-3

Abstract

Abstract:

In the context of social and economic transformation in rural China, ecosystem disservices have emerged frequently. This study reveals the spatiotemporal patterns, hazards and driving factors of wild boar damage from 2000 to 2021 by using the meta-analysis and collecting 733 typical human and wild boar conflicts. In this period, the number, spatial scope and hazard degree of wild boar damage incidents showed an increasing trend, and the number of provincial-level regions, prefecture-level cities and districts (counties) involved increased from 18, 41 and 67 to 25, 147 and 399, respectively. Wild boar damage incidents were concentrated in Chongqing municipality and central and western Hubei province before 2005, and then expanded to the Sichuan Basin, Loess Plateau, middle-lower reaches of Yangtze River and mountainous areas such as Changbai Mountains after 2015. The main manifestations were destroying crops, infringing poultry and causing casualties, especially the destruction of crops and farmland abandonment, accompanied by a rapid increase in casualties, accounting for 23.66% of the damage incidents. Meanwhile, the spreading trend and harmfulness of wild boar damage is a typical phenomenon of ecosystem disservices. The aggravation of this phenomenon is the result of ecological restoration, hunting ban policy, unclear boundary between agricultural land and ecological land, strong viability of wild boar and lack of natural enemies. This has posed an obvious threat to the use of abandoned farmland, the improvement of farmers’ livelihood and the maintenance of regional ecological security. It is urgent to formulate a policy of controlling the number of wild boars and establish a compensation mechanism for the loss by wild boars.

Key words: human and wild boar conflicts, spatiotemporal patterns, meta-analysis method, ecosystem disservices, social-ecological systems, China

WANG Yahui, YANG Aoxi, YANG Qingyuan, KONG Xiangbin, FAN Hui. Spatiotemporal patterns of human and wild boar conflicts in rural China and its implications for social-ecological systems coevolution[J].Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2023, 33(8): 1614-1630.

Figures/Tables 11

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Form	Source	Quantity (Article)	Percentage (%)
Academic papers	China Knowledge Network, Web of Science, Elsevier, Springer, etc.	88	12.01
Government announcement	National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Local Government Portal	8	1.09
Leadership message	People’s Network Leader Message Board	11	1.50
News page	Xinhua, Phoenix, Southwind and other networks or magazines	626	85.40
Total	—	733	100

Plot type	Tiancang village				Shuanglong village
Plot type	Number of plots	Percentage (%)	Plot size (ha)	Percentage (%)	Number of plots	Percentage (%)	Plot size (ha)	Percentage (%)
Abandoned plots due to wild boar damage only	85	30.14	7.24	32.01	37	18.59	4.06	19.48
Abandoned plots due to wild boar damage and other factors	126	44.68	10.88	48.14	123	61.81	12.13	58.11
Abandoned plots with non-wild boar factors	71	25.18	4.49	19.85	39	19.60	4.68	22.41
Abandoned plots of land	282	100	22.61	100	199	100	20.87	100.00
Total research plots	437		36.88		328		32.49