Foundation adopts solutions for humanwildlife conflict
A non-profit organisation Okavango Human Wildlife Conflict Foundation (OHWCF), will determine the real reasons for human wildlife conflict and come up with sustainable solutions to address them.
Chairperson of the Foundation, Gakemotho Satau told this publication that they intend to support human-wildlife conflict occurrences through proactive measures. These include raising awareness on human-wildlife conflict, robust stakeholder networking, custom-built mitigation programmes and resource mobilisation for participatory wildlife conservation.
Satau said the foundation intends to implement compensation and restoration programmes on injuries caused by problematic animals to reduce resentment killings on wild animals by affected people. He said compensation requires informed decision making which involves different factors which the foundation is yet to identify.
According to Satau, humanwildlife conflict mainly affects both commercial and subsistence farming communities in Okavango-Ngamiland and other parts of Botswana. For instance elephants would destroy fences, invade crops and at times kill humans.
Satau said that predators invade livestock, adding that the farming community normally retaliates by killing animals using poison.
The poisoned animal has a referral-chain and affects other scavengers in the ecosystem like vultures, which are endangered.
Satau said that the government is doing the best it can, however there is overburden. The conflicts are all over Botswana with a varying degree and priorities.
“The government has its own choice of categories to which it compensates. Different Batswana have different problem animals and not all problem animals are under government compensation radar.
“Similarly, some Batswana experience complete disconnect from wildlife conservation value chains. These make people more aggrieved and often instigate resentment killings whenever there is an encounter”, Satau said.
Satau said government could be more effective if it can decentralise resourcing and budgeting for human-wildlife conflict programmes to district levels or perhaps promote privatisation on the latter or to ensure there are informed meaningful and equitable community benefits derived from wildlife conservation.
“Generally the conflicts from elephants are not enough to restore the damage caused. Monetary benefits need to be reviewed and should be informed by the case at hand. The compensation should include restoration models”, Satau said.
According to Satau the foundation has begun engaging with relevant bodies. The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resource Conservation and Tourism and Office of the President (OP) are aware of their mandate and hope to advance engaging on this mandate to other stakeholders inclusive the private sector and civil society organisations.