The dry season has brought with a surge in conflicts between humans and wildlife in the Nyangambe Community Conservancy, a scenic area in Chiredzi district.
As the scarcity of food and water increases, competition for these essential resources has reached a boiling point, leading to tensions between humans and animals.
Locals claim that wild animals, including elephants, buffalo, and antelopes, are increasingly straying into human settlements in search of sustenance.
This influx has resulted in significant losses for farmers, who are finding their crops destroyed on farmland and livestock being attacked. The situation has created an atmosphere of fear and frustration among the community members.
To address this issue, the USAID/Zimbabwe Resilience ANCHORS Activity has launched various interventions aimed at minimizing the impact of Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC). Jeremy Swanson, Chief of Party for the USAID/Zimbabwe Resilience ANCHORS Activity, acknowledges that these efforts are still in their infancy stage.
While progress is being made, it is clear that addressing humand-wildife conflict will require a sustained effort from all stakeholders involved.
The success of these initiatives will depend on collaboration between government agencies, conservation organizations, local communities, and development partners.
SOURCE : NEWSREPORTZIM.COM
