Government urged to address human-wildlife conflict

Deputy minister of health and social services Esther Muinjangue has tabled a motion urging the government to investigate human-wildlife conflict.

This motion seeks to draw attention to the correlation of human livelihoods and the survival of wildlife, calling attention to the pressing need for effective interference in regions struggling with this conflict.

As the report on the motion explains, a number of incidences of human wildlife conflict occur annually in areas that are inhabited by game such as elephants, lions, buffalo, crocodiles and hippopotami among others. This, according to the report, is one of the consequences of the severe drought Namibia has faced in recent years, where people in stricken areas “are competing for water and crops with the above-mentioned species”.

Affected communities experience the loss of their domestic animals to predators, damage to crops and infrastructure, and even loss of like due to animal attacks. Namibia’s existing human-wildlife conflict management policy includes measures to mitigate some of the impacts of the conflict, including human retaliation due to the loss of livestock or crop damage.

Wildlife is considered a natural asset with considerable potential benefit to rural communities, making effective government intervention more necessary, says the report.

Muinjangue’s motion was referred to the parliamentary standing committee on natural resources, which has deemed it necessary to “have consultative meetings in different regions, to hear the view of the affected community members on the subject matter, before compiling the report for tabling to the National Assembly”.

Community members in the Katima Mulilo Rural constituency have suffered devastating crops damage due to wild animals, with many failing to harvest their crops in 2023 after wildlife such as elephants, buffalo and hippopotami devoured the crops. In addition, the report says community members have complained that the payment affected farmers receive as compensation for the damage – N$250 per hectare – is insufficient and is not issued promptly.

The report also highlights an overall rise in cases of human-wildlife conflict, with 139 cases reported in 2020, 201 cases in 2021, 188 cases in 2022, and over 180 cases reported from January to mid-August 2023.