Assessment of socio-economic implications of human-wildlife conflicts in communities adjacent to Nyerere National Park, Morogoro, Tanzania
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Date
2024-05
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Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) present a pervasive challenge
worldwide, particularly in regions adjacent to protected areas. The
IUCN (2023) emphasize the importance of effectively managing
HWC to achieve the United Nations for Biodiversity 2050. Despite
the introduction of various conservation initiatives to mitigate HWC,
the success rate remains low. Conservation management strategies
have traditionally focused on addressing dispute level of conflicts
focusing primarily on the visible impacts of HWC while neglecting
the underlying and identity-based conflicts that drives social conflicts
of HWC. Apart from neglecting the underlying and identity-based
conflicts, hidden costs associated with HWC remain understudied
and poorly documented leading to an exclusion from economic
evaluations and mitigation policies. Therefore, there is a critical need
for up-to-date studies focusing on addressing the social conflicts and
the socio-economic implications associated with HWC. Specifically,
the study aimed at (i) assessing the nature and extent of HWC (ii)
assessing the current intervention strategies employed across the
study area, (iii) identifying hidden costs associated with HWC, (iv)
quantifying households’ economic implications of hidden and visible
costs associated with HWC, and (v) evaluating the socio-
demographic predictors influencing respondents’ attitudes towards
wildlife conservation. Cross-sectional data were collected through
household interviews, key informant interviews, and focus group
discussions. Data analysis involved content analysis, descriptive
statistics and binary logistic regression analysis. Results revealed
that HWC resulted in both social and economic implications. in terms
of livelihood, majority of households (78%) were engaged in
agricultural farming. However, the nature of damage experienced by
respondents exhibited a significant difference (χ2=4.393, df= 1,
P<0.05). Predominantly, crop damage emerged as the most
prevalent form of conflict, mainly attributed to elephant intrusions.
Despite livestock depredation being comparably lower than crop
damages, respondents perceived it as highly significant and distressing. Poultry losses constituted the highest proportion, with
monkeys identified as the primary perpetrators. The study further
delineated HWC across three levels of conflict: dispute, underlying,
and identity-based conflicts. The prevalence of conflicts at the
dispute level was observed to be lower in comparison to underlying
and identity-based conflicts, underscoring the limited scope of
addressing conflicts solely at the dispute level within the context of
HWC. In addition, dispute and underlying levels of conflict r=0.414,
(p<0.05); and underlying and identity-based levels of conflict
r=0.535, (p<0.05) both indicated a positive significant correlation
indicating that an increase in dispute level of conflict leads to an
increase in underlying conflict. Dispute and identity-based levels of
conflict showed a not significant correlation r=0.328, (p=0.072).
Lethal and non-lethal intervention strategies were employed to
mitigate conflicts under dispute level. However, no lethal methods
were reported for mitigating livestock depredation. The intervention
strategies employed including the utilization of chili pepper, fencing,
farm guarding, scare tactics, solar torches, reporting to village
leaders, firecrackers, smoke, throwing stones at wild animals,
pesticides, and car oil/grease, were employed to alleviate crop
damages. Enclosures for livestock, supplementary feeding, solar
torches, and herding/guarding practices were employed to mitigate
livestock depredation, with varying degree of effectiveness among
respondents. Additionally, results revealed that respondents faced
several challenges in soliciting assistance from local authorities,
wildlife authorities and government authorities, including protracted
HWC incident reporting process, lack of consolation payment for
damages, exclusionary practices and lack of transparency. The
HWC incident reporting process was perceived as a protracted
chain, necessitating contacting the village leaders before relevant
authorities are notified, thereby intensifying HWC cases within the
study area. Exclusionary practices manifested in marginalizing
affected communities from participating in decision-making
processes concerning conservation and HWC-related issues. Lack
of transparency further compounded the issue with majority of respondents being unaware of NGOs operating within their
communities in addressing HWC. Furthermore, the study revealed
that HWC includes diverse dimensions of hidden costs, including
opportunity costs, transaction costs psychological and health
impacts. These hidden costs present significant implications,
particularly for households reliant on agricultural farming and
livestock keeping within the study area. Additionally, both visible and
hidden costs associated with HWC pose economic implications
stemming from crop damage, livestock depredation, monetary
opportunity costs, and transactional expenses, with a total estimated
annual economic loss of USD 1 455.53 per household. Nonetheless,
no consolation payments were made to mitigate the economic
losses incurred by respondents. The following variables were
statistically significant in explaining the respondents’ attitudes
towards wildlife and conservation, namely: household head age,
level of education, household size and HWC experience (X2=24,
df=7, p<0.05). Finally, the study therefore concluded that solely
focusing on addressing HWC at the dispute level leads to a partial
understanding of the overall situation and overlooks social conflicts,
potentially resulting in recurring conflicts over time. Furthermore,
respondents within the study area are faced with a range of hidden
costs associated with HWC that not only include direct financial
expenses but also non-monetary impacts such as psychological and
health impacts. Therefore, the study advocates for the adoption and
implementation of a holistic approach aligned with the Conservation
Conflict Transformation Model (CCT) model to effectively address
HWC, acknowledging their complexity and fostering cooperation
among stakeholders to safeguard wildlife and enhance local
livelihoods.
Description
MSc Dissertation
Keywords
Human-wildlife conflicts, levels of conflicts, intervention strategies, visible impacts, hidden costs, economic losses, attitudes, Nyerere National Park