Human, wildlife conflict costly
30 March, 2009

LETLHAKANE - Government spends atleast P5 million annually on managing the human-wildlife conflict across the country.

Central District Wildlife Coordinator, Mr Gift Otumile said this during a workshop on Human-Wildlife conflict (HWC) management held in Rakops on Wednesday.

Mr Otumile explained that in 1994 the government introduced monetary compensation scheme to compensate farmers whose property was damaged by wildlife.

All damages caused by wildlife, he said, were compensated regardless of the species involved, adding that the government was using a lot of money in compensation, which he said was not sustainable in the long run.

The scheme, he said, was later reviewed, leading to the compensation of damage caused only by seven dangerous species, with two more species added in 2005.

Mr Otumile said killing of Wildlife continued even after compensation, stating that farmers were not taking care of their livestock and fields.

He complained that farmers no longer kraaled their animals in the evening.

Workshops, he said, were held regularly by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks to educate farmers on measures to use in protecting their property against wild animals, but this, he said had little effect.

Three studies were commissioned and they required baseline information on conflict incidences in the study areas involving 13 villages in three districts including Khumaga, Moremaoto, Lesoma, Satau and Seronga, amongst others.

Mr Otumile said the Scenario needed to be changed to allow communities to develop mechanisms and processes to handle HWC incidents and processes to handle HWC incidents themselves.

This, he said, was an opportunity for the villages of Moremaoto and Khumaga in Boteti Sub District to spearhead the activities of the HWC management and biodiversity conservation for improved rural livelihood projects, which is expected to start in August 2009 in conjunction with the use of chili pepper to chase away elephants from the fields.

The senior wildlife ranger in Letlhakane, Mr Chalegwa Senamolela said the objectives of the workshop were to update the community on the progress of the project and share ideas with the community on issues relating to the project.BOPA