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Title
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Human-Wildlife Conflict in Chiredzi Gonarezhou National Park:
Conflict to Coexistence
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Creator
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Basera, Vitalis
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Makandwa, Godfrey
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Abstract
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The successful conservation of wildlife and the well-being of
communities living adjacent to protected areas largely depends
on the extent to which the communities and wildlife themselves
can coexist. Where coexistence fails, human-wildlife conflicts
(HWC) arise. Almost every country in the world faces some form
of HWC, and highly biodiversity, developing countries like
Zimbabwe particularly struggle with this issue. The purpose of
this study was to provide the detailed information on the status,
nature and dynamics of HWC, how it is experienced and how
communities living in and adjacent to HWC hotspots around
Gonarezhou are affected. Knowledge gained from this study will
inform the design and implementation of a suite of strategies
and interventions in HWC mitigation. This study was conducted
in eight wards with HWC hotspots around Gonarezhou in
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe in particular Chitsa, Chibwedziva,
Twanani, Batanai, Chichingwe, Xibhavahlengwe, Sengwe and
Xini. The local communities in these study sites live alongside
and share their space with wildlife. A mixed methods approach
was used to conduct this study, which involved the use of
quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques. The
quantitative data collection involved the use of structured
household questionnaires, and a total of 560 households were
interviewed across the study sites. The qualitative data
collection techniques involved discussions with 28 focus groups
and 12 interviews with key informants across the eight study
sites. Results from household surveys showed that attitudes
towards wildlife protection are generally positive. The incidences
of HWC varied across the study sites with some sites such as
Sengwe and Xibhavahlengwe experiencing higher levels of
conflict. The study recommends for a holistic solution which
addresses both HWC and poverty is critical in protecting
biodiversity and improving livelihoods in communities around
Gonarezhou National Park.
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Date
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March 2025
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Source
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Journal of Tourism, Culinary,
and Entrepreneurship
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ISSN: 2776-0928
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volume
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5
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issue
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1
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pages
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200-220
