Human–wildlife conflicts have intensified by many folds and at different levels in the recent years. The same is true in the case of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), the roof of the world and a region known for its wealth in biodiversity. We present systematic literature review (SLR) using the search, appraisal, synthesis, and analysis (SALSA) framework; and for spatial and network analysis, we employed the VOSviewer software. The review – covering 240 peer- articles within a span of 27 years (from 1982 to 2019) – revealed that in the last decade of that period, there was a 57 per cent increase in publications but with disproportionate geographical and thematic focus. About 82 per cent of the research concentrated on protected areas large carnivores and mega herbivores played a big role in such conflicts. About 53 per cent of the studies were based on questionnaires based and the main driver was reported was the habitat disturbance of the animals due to land-cover change, urbanization, and increase in human population. On the management front, the studies reported the use of traditional protection techniques like guarding and fencing. Our analysis of 681 keywords revealed prominent focus on ‘human-wildlife conflict’, ‘Nepal’, ‘Bhutan’, ‘Snow Leopard’ and ‘Leopard’ indicating the issue are linked with these species and countries. The involvement of 640 authors from 36 countries indicates increasing interest and Nepal and India are playing key role from the region. As for the spatial and network analysis that was conducted, while it showed variations in terms of localities, there were conspicuous limitations in terms of having a transboundary focus. Thus, particular attention ought to be paid to building transboundary partnerships and improving management interventions; there is also a pressing need to understand the patterns of human–wildlife convergence, especially involving meso mammals.

Aim: Wildlife and their interaction human or human-wildlife conflict, though reported throughout human prehistory, its severity and complexity have increased in recent years. The Hindu Kush Himalaya region, rich and biodiversity and known as roof of the world have gained recognition for many conservation success but also with increasing trends of human-wildlife conflict. But, they are sparsely documented and the severity of its impacts are not known for the region. Hence, we present a systematic review on human-wildlife conflict from the roof of the world. Methods: We followed the systematic literature review (SLR) approach of qualitative content analysis, using Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, and Analysis (SALSA) framework and also used VOSViewer for spatial and network analysis.. Results: Our results based on 240 peer-reviewed articles till 2019 showed 57% increase of publications in the last decades but with disproportionate geographical and thematic focus. About 82% of the research reported cases are from protected area with large carnivores and mega-herbivores as major causes of the conflict. About 53% of the studies were questionnaire-based household and the results highlight habitat disturbance through land cover change, urbanization, and human population increase as major drivers of human-wildlife conflict. Traditional management techniques like guarding and fencing along with improvement in plans and policies have been reported. Our analysis of 681 keywords revealed prominent focus on ‘human-wildlife conflict’, ‘Nepal’, ‘Bhutan’, ‘Snow Leopard’ and ‘Leopard’ indicating the issue are linked with these species and countries. The involvement of 640 authors from 36 countries indicates increasing interest and Nepal and India are playing key role from the region. Main conclusions: There is spatial variation in research with limited regional and transboundary focus. Attention is needed on understanding the pattern of interactions including meso animals along with improved management interventions through integrated and transboundary cooperation for tackling the issue.