Human-elephant conflict handbook: a guide to crop protection from elephant raiding

Across Africa, human-elephant conflicts are escalating as people and elephants vie for the same land. Humans are increasingly encroaching in wildlife habitats to meet subsistence needs, while elephants are moving ever closer to communities in search of water, damaging crops and endangering life.

This handbook was created with input from communities living near conservation areas directly affected by wildlife conflicts. Over the past ten years, these communities have worked to prevent human-elephant conflict, gaining valuable experience and data. 

This handbook explains human-elephant conflict and helps people understand elephant behavior. It gives practical advice, including safety guidelines for dealing with elephants, how to use the toolkit, and tools such as LED flashlights, air horns, noise balls, chili crackers, roman candles and long-term prevention methods like chili fences and chili bricks.

It also provides additional information on how to set up community human-wildlife elephant conflict teams and the importance of collecting data on incidents.