Wildlife Day focuses on human-wildlife conflict
The ministry of environment and tourism will continue to put measures in place to mitigate and prevent human-wildlife conflict.
Speaking at a World Wildlife Day event at Omatjete in the Erongo Region on Sunday, environment minister Pohamba Shifeta said human-wildlife conflict interventions remained on the ministry's priority list.
Shifeta said the ministry had upgraded and rehabilitated water infrastructure and constructed elephant dams to mitigate the impacts of human-wildlife conflict in the region. Eleven boreholes were rehabilitated, eight boreholes were fitted with new solar-powered pumps and four elephant dams were built.
A storage facility where people can safely store fodder was also built. Three elephants were collared to monitor their movements and warn communities when they approach human settlements.
The agriculture ministry assisted in putting up the infrastructure, while the German government, through GIZ, co-funded these interventions.
“We will continue to manage human-wildlife conflict in a way that recognises the rights and development needs of local communities, recognises the need to promote biodiversity conservation, promotes self-reliance and ensures that decision-making is quick, efficient and based on the best available information,” Shifeta said.
Shifeta said the day also celebrated successful initiatives to conserve and sustainably manage wildlife species.
He said the government recognised that living with wildlife often came at a cost.
Increased wildlife populations and expanded ranges into communal and freehold farming areas resulted in more frequent conflict between people and wild animals, particularly elephants and predators.
Shifeta said the ministry therefore dedicated the day to give recognition to human-wildlife conflict management interventions designed to promote wildlife conservation, contribute to improved community livelihoods and poverty eradication.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative, Izumi Morota-Alakija, said Namibia had shown its commitment to protecting wildlife.
“However, human-wildlife conflict is one of the challenging issues that remain persistent. The conflict between wild animals and humans ranges from the destruction of crops and water installations to loss of livestock, homes and in some cases, even unfortunate loss of human lives.”
She said it was necessary, therefore, that mechanisms were created for rural communities and farmers to manage and benefit from wildlife and other natural resources.
“There are a lot of human settlements in the Erongo Region which attract the desert elephant population. When the territories of people and wildlife intersect, human-wildlife conflict is unavoidable.”
She said interventions and mitigation measures were necessary to manage the conflict and protect ecosystems.
One of the main sources of conflict was the sharing of water sources by animals and people, she said. That could be mitigated by providing boreholes that can supply water to multiple water points, in turn leading wildlife away from human settlements.
ELLANIE SMIT
Speaking at a World Wildlife Day event at Omatjete in the Erongo Region on Sunday, environment minister Pohamba Shifeta said human-wildlife conflict interventions remained on the ministry's priority list.
Shifeta said the ministry had upgraded and rehabilitated water infrastructure and constructed elephant dams to mitigate the impacts of human-wildlife conflict in the region. Eleven boreholes were rehabilitated, eight boreholes were fitted with new solar-powered pumps and four elephant dams were built.
A storage facility where people can safely store fodder was also built. Three elephants were collared to monitor their movements and warn communities when they approach human settlements.
The agriculture ministry assisted in putting up the infrastructure, while the German government, through GIZ, co-funded these interventions.
“We will continue to manage human-wildlife conflict in a way that recognises the rights and development needs of local communities, recognises the need to promote biodiversity conservation, promotes self-reliance and ensures that decision-making is quick, efficient and based on the best available information,” Shifeta said.
Shifeta said the day also celebrated successful initiatives to conserve and sustainably manage wildlife species.
He said the government recognised that living with wildlife often came at a cost.
Increased wildlife populations and expanded ranges into communal and freehold farming areas resulted in more frequent conflict between people and wild animals, particularly elephants and predators.
Shifeta said the ministry therefore dedicated the day to give recognition to human-wildlife conflict management interventions designed to promote wildlife conservation, contribute to improved community livelihoods and poverty eradication.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative, Izumi Morota-Alakija, said Namibia had shown its commitment to protecting wildlife.
“However, human-wildlife conflict is one of the challenging issues that remain persistent. The conflict between wild animals and humans ranges from the destruction of crops and water installations to loss of livestock, homes and in some cases, even unfortunate loss of human lives.”
She said it was necessary, therefore, that mechanisms were created for rural communities and farmers to manage and benefit from wildlife and other natural resources.
“There are a lot of human settlements in the Erongo Region which attract the desert elephant population. When the territories of people and wildlife intersect, human-wildlife conflict is unavoidable.”
She said interventions and mitigation measures were necessary to manage the conflict and protect ecosystems.
One of the main sources of conflict was the sharing of water sources by animals and people, she said. That could be mitigated by providing boreholes that can supply water to multiple water points, in turn leading wildlife away from human settlements.
ELLANIE SMIT
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