Mitigating Wildlife Conflicts

Why do conflicts between wildlife and people matter for ecosystems, cultures, and the ways communities share land?

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What shifts when wildlife are treated as stakeholders with their own needs, interests, and forms of communication?

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How do different worldviews shape how wildlife is defined and addressed?

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What does sustainable coexistence actually look like, and what would it take to get there?

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What new opportunities for peace building and long-term sustainability emerge when coexistence is based on collaboration, not control? 

How can humans and wildlife truly share the land? This Humanities Lab explores coexistence through the reintroduction of Mexican gray wolves and broader conflicts over land use and wildlife governance in Arizona. Students investigate ecological, cultural, and ethical tensions through collaborative, transdisciplinary research—combining fieldwork, policy and literary analysis, environmental history, and ecological storytelling. Teams design public-facing interventions that address competing values and foster sustainable coexistence. Along the way, you will learn to navigate environmental complexity, practice ethical reasoning, and approach wildlife conflict as an opportunity to rethink relationships between humans, other species, and the landscapes we share.

Collaborators & Lab Consultants

• Claire Musser, Falmouth University Wolf Conservation and Anthrozoology Researcher and Executive Director of the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project

Wildlife conflict mitigation in the News

At the Humanities Lab, we strive to ensure our Labs are relevant and current. Here are some recent articles about wildlife conflict mitigation in recent news.

Feds 'mistakenly' kill collared and possibly pregnant Mexican gray wolf in Arizona

New Arizona contract with group calls for big reduction of Salt River horses