WILDLIFE Conservation Action Trust is implementing a human-wildlife conflict mitigation project in
Nyaminyami(Kariba rural)and Mbire District aimed at building the capacity of local communities to
protect and coexist with wildlife while improving their livelihoods. The Nyaminaymi HWC project has
been running in Mola communal lands, Nyaminyami for the past two years.
Since the inception of the project, nine Community Guardians known as Batabilili in Tonga language and
two mobile boma tailors were trained and employed by the project. The Guardians are responsible for
responding to and attending to human wildlife conflict incidences, mobile boma installation, shifting and
monitoring, kraal assessments and renovations, random herd assessments, occupancy surveys and
spoor transects.
“A total of 266 traditional kraals were renovated in both ward 3 and ward 4 to improve on kraal
visibility, kraal height and pole strength, said Moreangels Mbiza,Founder and Executive Director,Wildlife
Conservation Action.
“The total number of incidences of livestock predation were reduced by 29.1% (calculated using incident
proportion index). Ten smart mobile phones, ten bicycles, Wifi, printer, laptop and a solar power system
were some of the items bought for the Nyaminyami HWC project team to capacitate them for a safe,
effective and efficient conduction of their duties.A project vehicle was purchased and deployed in
Nyaminyami. A sewing machine were purchased and two community members were trained and
employed as mobile boma tailors.
“Quarterly livestock management systems workshops were conducted to educate the community
farmers on the importance of livestock management. The community farmers have now improved and
become more responsible for the kraaling and herding of their livestock in every season of the year.
WCA also purchased Agro-vet chemicals for boma beneficiaries with the main thrust of reducing
livestock-wildlife diseases transmission.
“Wildlife Conservation Action has been implementing human-wildlife conflict mitigation project in
Nyaminyami ward 3 and ward 4 for the past two years therefore, it is time to take the lessons learnt and
knowledge gained and expand this project to Nebiri ward 7 and ward 8, Musampakaruma ward 9 and
ward 10 and Kanyati ward 11, due to the need in these areas for interventions on conflicts of large
carnivores.
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) spokesperson Tinashe Farawo recently
said every
year crocodile and elephant attacks account for most of the human deaths and injuries. 2021 witnessed
71 deaths and 50 injuries against 60 deaths and 40 injuries in 2020.
Farawo added that elephants and crocodiles accounted for 90% of deaths followed by lions and
buffalos.
“We are raising awareness and asking people to desist from going into areas where they may get
attacked by wild animals. But they tell us that they need to survive and will go back to fishing after let’s
say a crocodile attack,”
he added.
By Obert Siamilandu
Water For Life Foundation
Follow Obert on Twitter @osiamilandu