The Ministry of Environment and Tourism has conducted human-wildlife conflict management training in over 40 conservancies since September 2023, aimed at equipping the communities with skills to handle claims and resolve human- wildlife conflict according to national policy.

Between September 2023 and December 2023, the department of wildlife conservation in the environment ministry has provided training to 45 conservancies in the Erongo, Kunene and Omaheke regions, with a total of 38 conservancies in Kunene south and north, four conservancies in Erongo and three conservancies in the Omaheke region. The ministry remains with over 40 conservancies which are yet to receive training.

Chief conservation officer in the ministry Absalom Vilho told Nampa that two out of the four conservancies in the Erongo region have been on hold for a long time with not much activity. One out of three conservancies in the Omaheke region was at a standstill, all of which are now fully- ready to become operational.

Furthermore, Vilho said most of the conservancies in the Kunene region which had received training have been quiet for a very long time, or have not been actively managing human-wildlife conflict for many years due to the mismanagement of funds.

“These conservancies receive funding from the ministry to help manage human-wildlife conflict, but you will find them struggling with managing these funds due to a lack of knowledge on how to manage the funds and distribute payouts for reviewing human-wildlife conflict. Thus, the necessary training was not only for game wardens, but the review committees who establish which claims are eligible to receive a payout,” he stated.

 Vilho added that the self-reliant human-wildlife scheme, which is provided by government, is not just about receiving payment for damages, but also about national data on human-wildlife conflict. Most of the data collected is used at international conferences, which is why the ministry has placed an emphasis on ensuring its accuracy.

- Nampa