When People and Wildlife Collide: Why Parliaments Matter More Than Ever

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This blog explores how human–wildlife coexistence has become a pressing governance challenge rather than a distant environmental issue. Drawing on insights from the International Parliamentary Roundtable on Human–Wildlife Coexistence held in Gaborone, Botswana, in January 2026, the blog highlights how communities across Africa—and increasingly Europe and Asia—are living daily with the impacts of wildlife on livelihoods, safety, and food security.

Bringing together parliamentarians, practitioners, civil society, and community representatives from Africa, Europe, and Asia, the roundtable emphasized that effective coexistence depends on strong parliamentary leadership, inclusive decision-making, fair compensation mechanisms, and laws grounded in lived experience. African approaches, particularly community-based natural resource management, offered valuable lessons for global policymakers, challenging traditional “north-to-south” knowledge flows. The blog underscores that sustainable coexistence is not about reducing wildlife, but about balancing human well-being, conservation, and accountability—making parliaments central to shaping solutions that work for both people and nature.

Read the full blog here: https://www.idea.int/blog/when-people-and-wildlife-collide-why-parliaments-matter-more-ever