Federal Funding for Human-Wildlife Conflict Avoidance

Before European settlers built across the United States, the country had a diversity of wildlife across all landscapes. Species such as bison, elk, puma, bears, and wolves were present in large numbers across North America. However, these species were seen as detrimental to the welfare of people settling in wild areas, so they were removed from all but the most remote landscapes.

​

Over the past few decades, wolves and other species have repopulated former habitats across the United States, including areas occupied by people. This has led to conflicts and raised concerns over how people and wildlife can share the same landscapes. Interactions between wildlife and people living in the same environment are inevitable. Finding solutions that address negative interactions, reduce the potential for future negative interactions, and help avoid social conflicts are core to Defenders’ efforts to support sustainable shared landscapes, for people and wildlife. Since the 1980s, Defenders has taken a pioneering role in creating funding opportunities and advocating for federal funding and other support for landowners living with predators. Today, the federal government has various funding programs that can help landowners in avoiding conflicts with predators, like wolves and grizzly bears.

​

Though there are several federal funding programs that can be used for human-wildlife conflict avoidance, the programs and application processes can be cumbersome and difficult to navigate. Additionally, there can be confusion on how or if multiple programs can be used. There is also little guidance to help determine which program is the most appropriate for each individual's needs. This project seeks to address this gap by summarizing the major federal funding opportunities available to support human-wildlife conflict avoidance projects, by providing landowners and producers with a guide to navigating these programs, and by providing staff at Defenders the tools they need to advocate for conflict avoidance programs.

The information used in this project was gathered through online research, surveys, and interviews with field experts, landowners, and agency staff. It was funded by Defenders of Wildlife.