Communities being empowered to effectively report and monitor human-wildlife conflict
Posted on July, 07 2025
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is a growing challenge in Zimbabwe, especially for communities living near protected areas. Crops are destroyed, livestock is killed, and human lives are threatened as wildlife like elephants, lions, and hyenas stray into villages.
To address this issue, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Zimbabwe has introduced citizen science—a community-based approach that empowers local people as first respondents to monitor and report HWC incidents. This initiative has shown promising results in fostering collaboration between conservation programs and affected communities.
In Hwange and Binga districts, WWF Zimbabwe supports 20 resource monitors from 10 wards in each district. The selection process was conducted in partnership with local leaders, including ward councillors and village heads, to ensure community support and involvement. These monitors were equipped with bicycles and cell phones to collect data on HWC incidents and wildlife populations.
They were trained to use tools like the Human-Wildlife Conflict Incident Reporting Tool, aligned to simple online data collection tools which records details such as crop damage, livestock predation, and threats to human safety. An additional tool, the Wildlife Population Monitoring Tool enables monitors to document sightings of various species, helping track population trends over time.
To make the program effective, WWF Zimbabwe developed localized training materials tailored to the specific needs of Hwange and Binga communities. Training sessions covered topics such as seasonal patterns of HWC and identification of common wildlife species.
The progress of this citizen science initiative indicates that communities can play a vital role in monitoring human-wildlife conflict when provided with the right tools and support. Resource monitors now contribute valuable data that informs conservation strategies while fostering a sense of ownership over local wildlife management efforts. Data collected by these monitors has helped identify conflict hotspots, enabling targeted interventions such as improved fencing around farms or the relocation of problem animals. The involvement of local communities ensures that conservation measures are both practical and culturally sensitive. Linking such grassroots initiatives to policy and planning is important for wildlife conservation programming.
WWF aims to contribute to the creation of well-managed networks of protected and conserved areas that coexist with communities thriving on a sustainable, natural resource-based economy.
In Hwange and Binga districts, WWF Zimbabwe supports 20 resource monitors from 10 wards in each district. The selection process was conducted in partnership with local leaders, including ward councillors and village heads, to ensure community support and involvement. These monitors were equipped with bicycles and cell phones to collect data on HWC incidents and wildlife populations.
They were trained to use tools like the Human-Wildlife Conflict Incident Reporting Tool, aligned to simple online data collection tools which records details such as crop damage, livestock predation, and threats to human safety. An additional tool, the Wildlife Population Monitoring Tool enables monitors to document sightings of various species, helping track population trends over time.
To make the program effective, WWF Zimbabwe developed localized training materials tailored to the specific needs of Hwange and Binga communities. Training sessions covered topics such as seasonal patterns of HWC and identification of common wildlife species.
The progress of this citizen science initiative indicates that communities can play a vital role in monitoring human-wildlife conflict when provided with the right tools and support. Resource monitors now contribute valuable data that informs conservation strategies while fostering a sense of ownership over local wildlife management efforts. Data collected by these monitors has helped identify conflict hotspots, enabling targeted interventions such as improved fencing around farms or the relocation of problem animals. The involvement of local communities ensures that conservation measures are both practical and culturally sensitive. Linking such grassroots initiatives to policy and planning is important for wildlife conservation programming.
WWF aims to contribute to the creation of well-managed networks of protected and conserved areas that coexist with communities thriving on a sustainable, natural resource-based economy.
Crops were damaged by baboons.
© WWF Zimbabwe
Crops were damaged by baboons.
© WWF Zimbabwe