By Staff Reporter
The Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) has come up with a raft of initiatives to combat human-wildlife conflict in order to foster peaceful coexistence between people and animals in several parts of the country.
In the Mabale area near Hwange National Park (HNP) in the northwest, villagers have been losing goats and cattle to stray lions and wild animals like hyenas.
The main cause of human-animal conflict is the expansion of human settlements into wildlife habitats, which creates competition for resources. The tension is exacerbated by the growth of agriculture, agroforestry, mining activities and infrastructure projects that frequently take place close to wildlife reserves and national parks.
Hwange is a typical case. Known for its diversified animal landscape and is home to Zimbabwe’s largest nature reserve. Human-wildlife confrontations are more common in the area, and settlements in Hwange such as Chilanga, Nengasha, Nabushome, and Mabale have not been spared.
In order to ensure the effectiveness of conservation activities, communities CNRG has been capacitating communities to understand and play their roles in reducing human-wildlife conflicts in hot spot areas such as Hwange.
CNRG has so far held focus group meetings in Hwange as well as trainings in a broader objective to help reduce human-wildlife conflict.
The engagement meetings have been over-subscribed in several places of Hwange.
Human activities such as farming have frequently enticed wild animals, particularly those that rely on grazing, resulting in negative consequences for both parties with wild animals encroaching fields.
CNRG has therefore been educating the community members there to maintain ecosystem protection to ensure the safety of livelihoods.
As wildlife encroaches on human communities in search of food and water, climate change and overcrowding have aggravated the conflict. Crop raids and livestock predation by lions, elephants, baboons, and hyenas have resulted in economic losses and food instability. Human lives have been lost on several occasions due to risky interactions with wild animals.
Retaliatory killings and poaching have also had an impact on wild animal populations, causing them to diminish. This has also disrupted their natural environment, contributing to biodiversity loss.
Ndaizivei Garura, CNRG Project Officer for Matebeleland, told this publication that more work will be done by the community to increase awareness campaigns that help people acknowledge their critical role in conservation as part of the long-term management of wildlife resources.
“This makes people more tolerant of animals, and they accept them as a part of nature. Community participation in community-based projects such as the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources CAMPFIRE gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility for animal conservation.
“Through CAMPFIRE, communities can be included in decision-making and revenue-sharing processes, enhancing efforts to utilize wildlife resources sustainably. Additionally, farming methods that prevent animal crop raiding can be taught to communities, along with other deterrent measures,” she said.
Garura added that operators of safaris can use non-lethal deterrent techniques to prevent wildlife from entering populated areas.
“These consist of human patrols, electric fences, and beehive fences. Communities may come together to monitor their fields to deter crop raiding and protect their livestock. Innovative community-based organizations, like the Tikobane Trust in Hwange, have developed powders that dissuade elephants from entering fields of crops,” she said.
The government introduced a strategy last year to compensate victims of human-wildlife conflict deaths. Such initiatives are encourgaed by wildlife conservationists to be conducted in order to recognize the significance of human lives lost.
The government through the Department of National Parks could also consider research and technology integration to leverage on technology like drone surveillance, sensor-based early warning systems, and GPS tracking.
These technologies can be effective in monitoring wildlife movement patterns and alerting communities to potential conflicts. Additionally, research initiatives provide valuable insights into the behaviour and ecology of wildlife, contributing to the development of targeted and evidence-based management strategies.
By fostering harmony between humans and wildlife, communities in Hwange can ensure the conservation of their rich biodiversity while simultaneously benefiting from their livelihoods.
By adopting a holistic approach that includes collaborative conservation initiatives, sustainable land-use planning, wildlife management and research, education, and economic incentives, human-wildlife conflict can be addressed using these sustainable solutions.
CNRG strives for a harmonious future where humans and wildlife coexist harmoniously, promoting sustainable development and biodiversity conservation.