Address human-wildlife conflicts, African governments urged

AFRICAN Governments should work with the private sector to deal with human-wildlife conflicts that have seen many countries, including Zimbabwe, failing to benefit from the resource.

Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe president, Dr Emmanuel Fundira, said some African countries, including Zimbabwe, had huge elephant populations which had now stretched capacity.

He said they were also stuck with ivory stockpiles, which they could not sell because of a ban on trade in those products.

Dr Fundira said Africa should be wary of Western-sponsored NGOs and countries whose continued ban on ivory sale has incapacitated many African countries from developing their economies using proceeds of the sales.

He said the huge elephant population in Zimbabwe, Botswana and Kenya had now created human-wildlife conflicts as animals stray into fields to devour crops which are the major source of livelihood for human habitation.

Poverty alleviation is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that member countries have been implored by the global body to pursue.

Dr Fundira noted that has also not been spared with the scourge of poaching through sophisticated armed syndicates, a development that has seen a sudden and drastic decline in tourism revenue.

The collective value of rhino horn and ivory stock piles in SADC countries is estimated to be valued at more than USD$ 3 trillion and all these estimates are based on official documents.

‘’Naturally, Africa has been a target by NGOs and animal rights groups whose influence has now been extended to CITES, something that should worry all progressive African minds.

“This is the time for Africa to smell the coffee and for us to see how best we can unlock this jam and make up on massive trade loses out of Covid-19.

Elsewhere in the world including America resource exploitation and exploration for oil continue unabated on lands not ecologically suitable for such exploits but the rest of the world conveniently keeps a blind eye, said Dr Fundira.