Impact of Fences on Human Wildlife Conflict in Communities Bordering the Northern Gonarezhou National Park, Southeastern Zimbabwe

Reports on problem animals are on the increase and this is associated with livestock predation, crop losses, poaching, retaliatory killing, loss of human lives, increased human wildlife conflicts (HWC) and poverty. In some spaces, HWC intervention measures such as fences established to separate communities and wildlife have failed to provide the much-needed peace and security on the peripheries as interaction between local people and wildlife continue to intensify, especially at the boundary between a communal area and protected area. This study sought to understand ecological strategies and mechanisms adopted by local people living on the edges of Gonarezhou National Park, southeast Zimbabwe to promote co-existence. Faced with competing interests within the local communities, the main question in this study was to establish whether local communities needed the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) which would require limited fencing for sustainability purposes or full fences. Data were collected between January and February 2024 and a total of 322 participated. A mixed research method was used in this study where focus group discussions, structured and semi-structured interviews were adopted as data collection instruments. The research established that there is a growing tension between communities and wildlife, HWC is on the increase and fencing alone cannot fully address co-existence. The study concluded that the existing local ecological mechanisms are not enough to support co-existence and promote biodiversity. Fences play a key role in mitigating HWC and co-existence can only be possible after proper planning and management, which entails effective fencing and meaningful involvement of local communities. The findings from this study help to strengthen the already existing co-existence mechanisms and strategies by local communities in the study area. The research recommends for the strengthening of local indigenous ecological pathway strategies.