Vusumuzi Dube
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
THE Government is finalising modalities for this month’s launch of the human-wildlife conflict relief fund that is expected to cushion the victims of human-wildlife conflict by way of funeral assistance and payment towards hospitalisation and treatment of victims.
The fund is also expected to cover non-human incidents such as crop and livestock loss in the long run.
This comes after Cabinet last year approved the establishment of the fund which will see initial payments covering three categories, namely: death, maiming, and injuries.
In an interview with Sunday News, the Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Nqobizitha Ndlovu said modalities were being put in place where the fund was expected to be self-financing, with its major revenue will be wildlife resources.
“We are setting up modalities for the fund and a big chunk of the sources of the revenue will come from the wildlife resources themselves particularly from the hunting proceeds.
It is, however, early season in the hunting sector, so we are working with partners in the safari industry who will then be able to do hunting on behalf of the state in a pro bono kind of arrangement.
“We hope that by end of April or there about we will be able to launch the fund. It also takes some institutional arrangements, setting up the right framework, all these things there are teams working on that just to make sure that it is a fund that can meet the purpose for which we want it to meet,” said Minister Ndlovu.
He said at launching stage, Government does not want to burden the fund with all human-wildlife issues because they were broad and complex.
“We are focusing on three main areas for now, firstly it is to make sure that families who would have lost loved ones to human-wildlife conflict, we provide some relief especially to meet funeral expenses.
Secondly, it should cater for those who would have been seriously injured. I think there will be proper assessment of what we can possibly raise in a year, compare that with what we expect to be the level of the claims so that the fund is able to meet the claims.
So, for now we have looked at human beings that if there is a direct attack, how do we as Government come on board,” said Minister Ndlovu.
He said while there had never been anything of that nature in conservation, if the fund performs well and they were able to raise adequate funding, it would go to other issues that were already in place.
“For instance, you will find that a lot of our people are attacked by crocodiles in crocodile infested rivers while fishing. So, we are seeing a livelihood challenge there and we are thinking that we can then put more resources in putting fish ponds so that people don’t go to the river to do fishing.
There are so many areas. People are losing livestock and crops but if we from the onset say this fund will address that then it won’t last long.
We want to ensure we establish it, fund it and nurture it as it grows and we begin to address more and more issues to do with wildlife conflict,” said Minister Ndlovu.
Wildlife experts have expressed their appreciation in the proposal at a time when the problem was increasing as both human and wildlife population continue to grow. They suggested that, the Government with whom people entrust with tax payers’ money should administer the funds but ideally use insurance companies to give a market-rate compensation for damages to property and crops.
Johannesburg-based environmental writer and activist Emmanuel Koro said the compensation of crops and property could foster tolerance and co-existence.
“In my capacity as an environmental journalist who has been observing and reporting on the human-wildlife-conflict in the wildlife-rich and elephant overpopulated Sadc countries, I think compensation for loss of property and crop destruction can make people appreciate and tolerate their co-existence with wildlife.
However, no amount of money can ever compensate the physical and emotional loss of a human being. This raises the question: What is the Government going to do in cases of loss of a human being? Does it even have the money to ‘support a family that has lost a breadwinner through human-wildlife-conflict?’ Or will it just assist with burial?” said Koro.
He said in the event that someone has sustained wildlife attack injuries but can live for years, but sadly unable to fend for themselves and their family, Government has to look at addressing such cases.
“I think a small tourist human-wildlife-conflict levy might be the answer to the challenge of raising funds for human-wildlife-conflict in Zimbabwe.
Tourism businesses and tourists must not see the levy as a burden because human-wildlife-conflict victims largely come from wildlife producing communities that look after and tolerate co-existence with the wildlife that tourism businesses profit from and that tourists enjoy watching and in some cases, enjoy hunting,” said Koro. – @nyeve14.
Online Reporter