Namibia’s Vice President Nangolo Mbumba has called on industry players to interrogate cases of human-wildlife conflict (HWC) and devise long-lasting solutions to deal with the negative interactions between the two.
Mbumba said the human-wildlife conflict associated losses can no longer be tolerated adding that compensation requests were enough signs that more needs to be done to bring the situation under control.
“I am informed of several requests from the public, asking for compensation for damages caused by wildlife to human lives and properties, as well as livestock and crop damages. This indicates that there is a serious need to reduce the growing tension around HWC, as losses of lives, livestock, and crops, as well as damage to infrastructure which affect the livelihoods of our citizens, cannot continue to be tolerated,” he said when officially opening the National Conference on Wildlife Conflict Management underway in Windhoek.
The national conference seeks to review the 2018 revised policy, as well as generate resolutions and mechanisms that can result in the reduction of HWC cases, to ensure that benefits of conservation outweigh the losses of lives from HWC.
The 2018 revised policy provides compensation for loss of life in the form of funeral expenses and related costs to the tune of N$100,000, while injuries to persons amount to N$30,000, and N$10,000 in cases where a body part is lost. Injuries leading to disability are compensated with N$50,000.
With regards to livestock, a farmer who loses cattle will receive per herd N$3,000, Goat N$500, Sheep N$700, Horse N$800, Donkey N$500 and N$700 for Pig.
Meanwhile, destruction of crops will fetch a value of N$250 for a quarter hectare and N$1,000 for a full hectare.
“I, therefore, call upon this National Conference to review and discuss progress, challenges and opportunities in the implementation of this policy so that we may have specific resolutions and actions to implement specific preventative, protective and mitigative strategies for human-wildlife conflict management.
“Human-wildlife conflict should not be the responsibility of the government alone. It should be the responsibility of all citizens and state agencies to minimise the losses and the impact caused by wild animals,” the Vice President said.
He added that there is a need to manage HWC in a way that recognises the rights and development needs of local communities, including the promotion of biodiversity conservation and self-reliance.
“Ensure that decision-making is quick, efficient and based on the best available information. In order to achieve this, we need to develop appropriate mitigation and monitoring methods and capacitate all stakeholders to effectively manage human-wildlife conflicts,” Mbumba said.
Despite all these successes, Mbumba admitted, the government recognises that living with wildlife often carries a cost, and the increased wildlife populations in the communal and freehold farming areas result in more frequent conflicts between people and wild animals.
Meanwhile, Environment, Forestry and Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta echoed Mbumba’s sentiments saying, it was pertinent for the government to develop an integrated flexible and comprehensive policy towards dealing with HWC that can provide an environment of meeting national and international commitment towards biodiversity.
