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HARARE – Challenges posed by increased wild animal populations including conflicts with humans will be up for discussion at the inaugural World Wildlife Summit to be held in Victoria Falls later this month, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Zimbabwe will host the global summit which is being facilitated by the United Nations and the African Union between June 24 and 25.
Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Priscah Mupfumira said Zimbabwe would tap into recommendations made at the summit to formulate its human-wildlife conflict policy.
“We hope the recommendations at the end of the summit, which is going to be an international summit, will help us come up with other resolutions we can put into the policy we are coming up with to deal with human -wildlife conflict,” she told Parliament on Wednesday.
Mupfumira said increasing wildlife numbers had resulted in increased conflict between humans and wildlife.
For example, she said Zimbabwe was currently grappling with a huge elephant population estimated at over 84 000 which was way above the carrying capacity of 50 000.
“These are some of the issues why we are hosting the first ever wildlife conference under the AU and the UN. We are looking at those issues.” – New Ziana
Bongani Ndlovu