Online Reporter
Don Makanyanga
Online Writer
THE Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, says the Government is planning to set up a fund to compensate farmers who have lost their crops due to wildlife.
She was responding to a question posed by Beitbridge West legislator Thusani Ndou, who wanted to know the Government’s policy with regard to compensation of farmers who have lost crops to wild animals, particularly elephants.
“The elephant population is growing in an amazing manner because we have no control and we are not allowed to dispose of the elephants by CITES, a trading system that is in the world,” said Dr Ndlovu.
“As a result, we have decided as the Government that we are going to work on a programme to set up a fund that will assist in compensating our people.”
Minister Ndlovu said a number of solutions are being implemented to deal with human-wildlife conflict, including an increase in the number of rangers being recruited.
“The last question that he asked was about what we are doing to prevent human-wildlife conflict in the country.
“We want to see our people harvest their crops. We have tried to recruit as many rangers as possible so that they can manage the area that is currently covered by our parks and wildlife so that we can prevent the movement of elephants from their original area of residence to where human beings are settled.
“We are also working hard to try and make sure that we provide water, sources of water nearer to the parks or within the parks, so that elephants do not move out of the parks to look for water because the majority of those cases is that most of these elephants will be looking for water, not necessarily food. The provision of water for the wildlife is critical for us.”
She added that her ministry was working with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development so that they can build more dams and pump more water for the wildlife to prevent them from disturbing farming activities.
Online Reporter