Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter
Zimbabwe’s efforts to reduce human-wildlife conflict are bearing fruit as the country has this year recorded 31 deaths, compared to 50 last year.
This was said by ZimParks director-general Dr Fulton Mangwanya during the human-wildlife conflict multi-stakeholder conversation and launch of the innovative WhatsApp Chatbot in Harare on Thursday.
The programme, which was organised by ZimParks in conjunction with Wild Africa, was meant to discuss sustainable mitigation strategies and coexistence solutions to reduce conflict with wildlife.
In his remarks, Dr Mangwanya said there is an urgent need for innovative solutions and collaborative efforts of addressing human-wildlife conflict.
“A total of 50 people were killed by wild animals in 2023, compared to 67 people who were killed by wild animals in 2022. This year, a total of 31 deaths have been recorded.
“Human, crop and livestock destruction not only reduces incomes but also affects livelihoods and our people’s abilities to feed their families,” he said.
“Our shared goal is to find pathways that mitigate conflicts while promoting the conservation of wildlife and the well-being of human communities.”
Wild Africa chief executive officer Peter Knights commended Zimbabwe for continuing formulating measures that addresses human-wildlife conflicts.
“Africa and Zimbabwe can show the rest of the world the best ways of coexistence. It’s about survival; these are essential issues we need to address today.
“Zimbabwe is facing problems here with drought and large animals. So I would love to see Zimbabwe at the forefront globally of promoting solutions to these issues and show the world a sustainable way of coexisting with animals,” he said.
Online Reporter