Human-Wildlife Conflicts and Livelihoods in Binga District, Zimbabwe: Local Communities’ Lived Experiences

This chapter traces human-wildlife conflicts (HWCs) in Binga district, located in northwest Zimbabwe. Situated at Zimbabwe’s border with Zambia, the borderland district is endowed with wildlife resources including wild animals and forestry. Lake Kariba is the main habitat for aquatic animals including fish, hippopotamuses, crocodiles in the district. The district also has a wide range of wildlife conservancies including Chizarira National Park, Chete Safari Area as well as several forestry conservancies. These conservancies harbor mostly terrestrial wild animals including elephants, baboons, impalas, elands, hyenas, monkeys, and lions. Significant human–wildlife interactions (both inside and outside these areas) have both positively and negatively affected the surrounding Binga communities’ livelihoods in diverse ways. Existing literature in Zimbabwe has delineated Human Wildlife Conflict (HWC) in various parts of the country, including the Zambezi valley. However, this chapter alternatively utilizes a case study approach to HWC, focusing on Binga district. Using interviews, ethnography, netnography, newspapers, government publications and already existing secondary sources, this study explores the diverse livelihood eventualities arising from HWC in Binga. These include loss of human life, the destruction of crops, household property, and domestic animals as well as human to human conflicts over control of wildlife. Furthermore, the study evaluates the role of state wildlife management agencies including the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZNPWMA) and the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) in ameliorating HWC in the district. Essentially, the study not only expands the understanding of HWC but also human conflicts over wildlife in Zimbabwe, with a goal to broaden the knowledge base for the betterment of sustainable human–wildlife coexistence in Africa and globally.