Facts About Human Wildlife Conflict
Human wildlife conflict occurs when wild animals pose a direct and recurring threat to the livelihood or safety of people, leading to their persecution of that species. Livingstone has been experiencing an upturn in human wildlife conflict in some areas, including Linda, Maloni, Nakatindi and, Mwandi neighbourhoods. These areas have been prone before because many wildlife species, such as elephants, seasonally migrate in and around the surrounding conservation areas.
Why are these incidents, especially with elephants, increasing?
- Increase in both humans and elephants’ populations.
- Blocking of elephant corridors due to developments, such as new residential settlements and farms.
- Transboundary movements by elephants, influenced by several factors including poaching in one country which causes them to cross over to neighboring countries or a change in weather patterns.
- Lack of awareness and education on wildlife species, especially, how people should safely respond when they feel threatened.
What is being done in Zambia?
Here, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), together with many supporting NGOs such as Conservation and Tourism Society (CATs), Conservation South Luangwa (CSL) and Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) – work together to help provide solutions for local communities dealing with human wildlife conflict. Their activities include extra human wildlife conflict patrols for quick response and prevention of these conflicts, Chili growing to help protect the Elephants in the South Luangwa National Park from poaching. Chili fences are built and used as detergents to ward off elephants and protect crops because elephants have been mainly responsible for crop damage according to a Human Wildlife Conflict report conducted in 2012.
Conflict between people and wildlife is one of the main threats to the continued survival of many wild species all over the world. It is also a significant threat to local human populations. If solutions to conflicts cannot be found then, local support for wildlife conservation also declines.
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