Wildlife habitats both protected (forest reserves) and those outside protected areas (such as private and community forests) harbour wild animal populations that may pose threats while inflicting costs on communities that live at the frontline.
The concerns include crop-raiding, economic and social losses and the loss of human life or injury.
Conversion of these wildlife habitats into agriculture production zones amplifies overlap in needs between humans and wildlife leading to what we term as human-wildlife-conflicts (HWC) varying from crop damage/loss, to injury and sometimes death to humans and wildlife involved.
Traditionally, farming communities have been implementing some interventions to prevent crop-raiding through guarding gardens, chasing the wild animals physically, shouting and setting night fires, setting snare traps and poisoning.
Interventions such these are not sustainable and cause harm to wildlife exacerbating human-wildlife conflicts.
Chimpanzee Trust is working with communities, specifically around Bugoma Central Forest Reserve, through implementing dependable, community-driven interventions.
These include;
- Growing of crops that are none palatable to wild animals
- Planting live fence barriers at garden boundaries
- Training and establishment of guarding groups
- Establishment of a community Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) fund to assist farmers to save resources to assist themselves in cases of loss caused by wildlife and improve on their productivity and add value to their produce.
These interventions have contributed to a reduction in human-wildlife conflicts for communities at the frontline in the Albertine Region.
Your generous support is welcome.
