Human-wildlife Conflict Cases Rise In Mbire

Human-wildlife conflict has become the most critical challenge in wildlife conservation, a government official has said.

Speaking at a human-wildlife conflict meeting in Mbire District, Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbra Rwodzi said that human activities are encroaching into wildlife habitats resulting in conflict between people and wild animals. She said:

The status of human-wildlife conflict in Zimbabwe is the most critical challenge in wildlife conservation.

There are a number of communities which live near and around protected areas in the country.

Major causes of human-wildlife conflict in the Mbire area are the human settlement in wildlife corridors, streambank cultivation, deforestation, expansion of arable land into forest areas and poaching.

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Since 2015, 36 people lost their lives while 75 were injured in crocodile, elephant, and lion attacks as well as snake bites in 11 wards across Mbire District in Mashonaland Central Province.

Rwodzi said major parts of Mbire were forest and wildlife areas and three community conservancies are being established under the Global Environmental Facility project.

The conservancies are Mbire North, Mbire South and Karinyanga, which Rwodzi said would contribute significantly to the hunting industry and community livelihoods.

Rwodzi said district projects were working to reduce the effects of human-wildlife conflicts by establishing:

• solar community gardens
• fish ponds
• human-wildlife conflict campaigns
• climate-smart agriculture
• biogas digesters
• apiculture
• chilli technologies
• training local game rangers

| NewsDay