Human-wildlife conflict is a growing development challenge. A Global Wildlife Program (GWP) survey found that almost 75% of governments perceive that human-wildlife conflict is increasing in severity, with escalating socioeconomic impacts. The Conflict to Coexistence (C2C) Approach, developed by WWF, provides a framework and methodology through which tailor-made human-wildlife conflict management strategies can be developed based on the local cultural, environmental, and social context. It provides practical guidance on how to engage local communities in co-design, including ready-to-use tools on how to screen levels of conflict and social dynamics, assess stakeholder interests and negative impacts being experienced, develop site-based management measures, and prepare an assessment report. Through a participatory multi-stakeholder process involving those directly affected by human-wildlife conflict, the C2C Approach promotes long-term coexistence between people and wildlife, while achieving short-term results.

In this Tool Talk we heard from Nilanga Jayasinghe and Femke Hilderink, two of the WWF experts behind the development of the C2C Approach. They shared insights about the C2C methodology and one of the GWP projects will highlight lessons learned from its implementation on the ground.

Presentation

Presenters

• Nilanga Jayasinghe, Director, Asia Wildlife, WWF
• Femke Hilderink, Senior Advisor Human-Wildlife Coexistence, WWF

Moderator

• Anila Jane Mohan, Environmental Analyst, Global Wildlife Program, World Bank Group

Biographies

Nilanga Jayasinghe is a director on the Wildlife Conservation team at WWF, focusing on Asian species including elephants, rhinos, tigers, and snow leopards. She has more than 20 years of experience in international species conservation across Asia, Africa, and North America. Nilanga is the WWF Network’s Asian elephant lead and serves on the leadership team of its human-wildlife conflict working group. She is also a member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group and the Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group under the IUCN.

Femke Hilderink is a senior advisor on human-wildlife coexistence at WWF and has more than 15 years of experience in international nature conservation. She focuses on the conservation of Asian, African, and European wildlife species and works in the context of an integrated landscape approach. Femke is part of the leadership team of the WWF Network’s human-wildlife conflict working group and her main areas of expertise are human-wildlife conflict and coexistence, strategic planning and connectivity conservation.

Anila Jane Mohan supports implementation of the Global Wildlife Program (GEF-funded, led by the World Bank Group) across 38 countries, focusing on combating illegal wildlife trade, human-wildlife conflict, and wildlife-based economies. Previously, she supported the coordination of the MDB Nature Group and coordinated wildlife initiatives in Tanzania’s Southern Tourism Circuit to strengthen protected areas, infrastructure, and community livelihoods. She holds an MBA (International Business) and a BSc (Honours) in Wildlife Ecology and Zoology.

About Tool Talks

The GWP Tool Talks is a practical webinar series designed to help government clients, GWP project teams, World Bank Group staff, and development partners turn existing tools into action. Many high-quality frameworks, guides, and toolkits already exist to support wildlife, biodiversity, and landscape interventions, but they are not always easy to find, understand, or apply in day-to-day work. Tool Talks responds to this gap by showcasing one technical tool per session through a hands-on, tutorial-style walkthrough led by an experienced practitioner or tool developer. Visit the GWP events page to find past recordings of other GWP knowledge events.