Natural resources including wildlife have been harnessed by human beings since time immemorial for their own needs. Loss of forest cover primarily due to deforestation and human intervention, often draw the wild animals to trespass into human settlements in search of habitat. In India, where forest territories are designated by the government as protected areas, people inhabiting those lands earn a livelihood from the ecosystems through fishery, collecting Non-timber Forest Produce (NTFP), agriculture, and rearing cattle. The conflict arises when human beings are attacked by animals sending a misinterpreted message that the animal population in the wild has increased thereby escalating the conflict. Man has always managed to come out victorious in blame games, especially in dealings with the voice-less. The victims of “Man-Animal Conflict” may not be included under mainstream crime victims but recent developments in criminology and victimology identify the victim in a newer perspective. In an attempt to identify victims of the Man-Animal conflict, the present study implores recent incidences and addresses measures to curb man-animal conflict in India.
Keywords: Man-Animal Conflict, Protected Areas, Victims, Victimology.

The study of green harms and crimes in the Brazilian Amazon is getting increased attention after the climate crisis reached alarming contours; that is because preserving the Amazon is considered crucial if humanity still wants to avoid mass extinction on planet Earth. Within that context, regardless of current preventive law enforcement strategies in the Brazilian Amazon, criminality is still thriving at more alarming levels. Moreover, there is a gap in criminological knowledge regarding the harmful activities of the timber industry in rural areas of the global South. Drawing from situational crime prevention strategies and deterrence elements to explore their practicality in reducing forest crimes and harms in the unique context of the Brazilian Amazon, I am conducting novel qualitative research to understand the concept of guardianship and the decision-making process of people from the timber industry committing green harms and crimes in rural areas of the global South. Between 2022 and 2023, I recruited participants from three different groups – green offenders, Indigenous leaders, and green law enforcers – from various parts of Amazonas – a Brazilian province – and enquired about the current landscape of the timber enterprise. By presenting part of my findings, I seek to enrich the academic debate on green criminality and transgressions that gravitate within and beyond humanity and its social constructions.

There is a growing body of research and activism that focuses on the rights and wellbeing of all living creatures, moving beyond an anthropocentric, utilitarian approach. Such work considers humans, other animals, trees, water, soil, and other more-than-human life forms as interdependent, therefore extending and reconceptualizing justice, rights, and ethics to incorporate multispecies.

This article considers what it would mean to reconceptualize justice through a multispecies lens, taking a Himalayan parasite as case study. Caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis, locally called ‘yartsa gunbhu’) has been used in Asian traditional medicine for centuries, yet its popularity has grown excessively in the past three decades due to increased international demand. This has effected drastic changes the livelihoods of local communities of the Himalayan regions where yartsa gunbhu is harvested: while traditionally relying on agropastoral economies, now the ‘Himalayan gold rush’ has brought much prosperity to those who are able to find the much-desired caterpillar fungus. However, this has been paired with a corresponding increase in harmful environmental and social consequences, including improper waste disposal, threats to biodiversity, overharvesting, land and property conflicts, and physical violence.

This paper will provide a systematic overview of the harmful and criminogenic consequences of the commodification of yartsa gunbhu, guided by the results of recent ethnographic fieldwork (2021-2023) in the isolated Himalayan district of Dolpa, Nepal. The project focuses on ameliorating the protection of Dolpo’s cultural and natural heritage, thereby building confidence and awareness within communities to not only co-opt in these efforts, but to develop epistemically just frameworks that fit their needs and priorities. By examining how the commodification of yartsa gunbhu has led to a range of harmful consequences, we consider what justice and security look like for humans on the frontline of exploitation, but also what multispecies justice looks like when shifting perspective away from a human-centric approach.