Conflict Between Humans About Wildlife: Social Constructions of Elephants in the Mid-Zambezi Valley, Northern Zimbabwe

This study, by employing the social constructionist framework, sought to investigate conflict over the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) in Masoka Ward in the mid-Zambezi Valley, northern Zimbabwe, by analysing the meanings assigned to the species by stakeholders with diverse elephant management goals. A qualitative case study was employed to obtain an in-depth understanding of the social constructions of the African elephant. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 25 purposively selected heads of households from the five villages in the ward, interviews with key informants as well as document analysis. Qualitative data were inductively and thematically analysed. The results showed that elephants were socially constructed as agricultural pests, a threat to human safety and a source of protein by agro-pastoralists; as endangered species by the conservation authorities; and as a valuable resource by all stakeholder groups. These social constructions were driven by different beliefs, shared experiences and competing interests of the diverse stakeholders regarding the management of elephants. It is recommended that wildlife managers investigate social groups’ competing social constructions of elephants and implement them in conflict mitigation processes.