- Increasing number of elephants worrisome - Compensation unsustainable
The Government of Botswana has paid compensation of up to P124, 857 660 to farmers for damaged caused by wildlife between 2018 and 2023 financial years.
This is according to the 2023 Report by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in the ministry of Environment and Tourism. The Report indicates that in 2018-2022, a total of 46 132 conflict incidents were reported from all districts. Elephant account for the highest incidents for both injuries and death in all the years.
Botswana is home to over 130 000 elephants. This poses a significant threat to the people’s livelihoods. The elephants invade communities and continue to affect farming activities. According to the Report, the Government of Botswana through the Department of Wildlife and National Parks continues to implement various measures such as education and awareness about HWC, reactive and proactive patrols, scaring devices.
“All these have varying degrees of successes and challenges thereby warranting the need for urgent interventions geared towards addressing this challenge. To this end, platforms such as this present an opportunity for stakeholder inputs to inform decision making which is crucial for a lasting solution taking into account curbing human wildlife conflict for win-win situation for both people and wildlife,” the Department said in the Report.
It states that the impact from Human-Wildlife Conflict should not be underestimated, including the impact from actual losses on the ground and compounded by the negative perception of living with dangerous wildlife that exceeds the reality of losses. It is also evident that the ongoing and extreme drought in almost all of Botswana is seriously aggravating the situation.
According to the Report, challenges faced are: unsustainable compensation; Human Wildlife Conflict requires a lot of resources; Increase of wildlife population cause human wildlife conflict especially elephants; Encroachment of human activities in wildlife areas; Loss of livelihoods; and Retaliatory killings such as Poisoning.
“The issue of human-wildlife conflict is of great concern to the government of Botswana, and the nation at large. It is particularly so as it strikes at the core of human livelihoods especially rural livelihoods where basic sustenance is centred on farming. Too often, individuals are left with nothing to show for their efforts due to encroachment of wild animals into areas inhabited by people and destroy their cops, livestock and other properties,” the report stated.
According to the department in its findings, various government programmes aimed at improving livelihoods end up in some instances thwarted by the destruction caused by the wildlife. The consequence of this, according to the Report, is the resentment of wildlife by the affected communities often resulting in retaliatory and often indiscriminate killings of wild animals and in the process threatening their very existence.
This is according to the 2023 Report by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in the ministry of Environment and Tourism. The Report indicates that in 2018-2022, a total of 46 132 conflict incidents were reported from all districts. Elephant account for the highest incidents for both injuries and death in all the years.
Botswana is home to over 130 000 elephants. This poses a significant threat to the people’s livelihoods. The elephants invade communities and continue to affect farming activities. According to the Report, the Government of Botswana through the Department of Wildlife and National Parks continues to implement various measures such as education and awareness about HWC, reactive and proactive patrols, scaring devices.
“All these have varying degrees of successes and challenges thereby warranting the need for urgent interventions geared towards addressing this challenge. To this end, platforms such as this present an opportunity for stakeholder inputs to inform decision making which is crucial for a lasting solution taking into account curbing human wildlife conflict for win-win situation for both people and wildlife,” the Department said in the Report.
It states that the impact from Human-Wildlife Conflict should not be underestimated, including the impact from actual losses on the ground and compounded by the negative perception of living with dangerous wildlife that exceeds the reality of losses. It is also evident that the ongoing and extreme drought in almost all of Botswana is seriously aggravating the situation.
According to the Report, challenges faced are: unsustainable compensation; Human Wildlife Conflict requires a lot of resources; Increase of wildlife population cause human wildlife conflict especially elephants; Encroachment of human activities in wildlife areas; Loss of livelihoods; and Retaliatory killings such as Poisoning.
“The issue of human-wildlife conflict is of great concern to the government of Botswana, and the nation at large. It is particularly so as it strikes at the core of human livelihoods especially rural livelihoods where basic sustenance is centred on farming. Too often, individuals are left with nothing to show for their efforts due to encroachment of wild animals into areas inhabited by people and destroy their cops, livestock and other properties,” the report stated.
According to the department in its findings, various government programmes aimed at improving livelihoods end up in some instances thwarted by the destruction caused by the wildlife. The consequence of this, according to the Report, is the resentment of wildlife by the affected communities often resulting in retaliatory and often indiscriminate killings of wild animals and in the process threatening their very existence.
