Messele YihuneAbdallah Mohammed2026-07-282026-07-282025https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/8702Human-wildlife conflict is an increasing problem for both conservation and community growth worldwide. It's caused by things like habitat loss and changes in climate. In Ethiopia, near Awash National Park, there isn't much information about this conflict, even though it badly affects people's ways of life and the local animal and plant life. This research looks at the patterns, reasons, and effects of human-wildlife conflict in and around the park. It also explores how the local community deals with these conflicts and what they think about protecting wildlife. The study uses a mix of methods, like surveys with 222 households, interviews with important people, and group discussions. The data collected was studied using both statistics and qualitative analysis. The results show that crop raiding (77.9% of households) and livestock attacks (57.7%) are the most common conflicts. These mainly involve animals like baboons, warthogs, and hyenas. How close people live to the park affects how bad the conflict is. Households within 2 km lose the most, about 420 kg of crops and 3.2 livestock each year. Local ways of dealing with these issues, like guarding fields and using thorn bushes as fences, take a lot of work and don't fully solve the problem. Many people in the community have negative views about wildlife (59.5%) because ofrepeated losses and not enough support from organizations. This study shows that there's a need for better land-use planning, ways to compensate people for their losses, and conservation plans that involve the community to reduce conflict. These results can help Ethiopia reach its conservation targets and support wider international efforts by pushing for ways for people and wildlife to live together, balancing the need to protect nature with securing people's livelihoods.enHuman-wildlife conflictAwash National ParkEthiopiaCrop RaidingLivestock PredationBiodiversity ConservationParticipatory ManagementSpatial AnalysisConservation AttitudesCoping StrategiesThesis