Human-wildlife conflict costs gov’t P38.4 million
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday March 6, 2023 06:00
These are costs incurred by damages caused by elephants and six other wildlife species that attract wildlife compensation namely lion, leopard, hippo, rhino, buffalo and crocodile.
Responding to a question in Parliament this week, Minister of Environment and Tourism, Philda Kereng said between 2020 and 2021 government spent P24.2 million on elephant compensation alone. She added that the value of damage incurred in monetary terms was P15.1 million and P 9.1 million in 2020 and 2021 respectively. “During the year 2020, my ministry received 3,504 reports of elephant damage to ploughing fields across the country.
In the year 2021, these reports totalled 4,047,” she said. Kereng also revealed that six species other than elephants cost government P14.1 million compensation in those years. She said in relation to species other than elephants the value of damage incurred in monetary terms amounted to P8.1 million and P6 million in 2020 and 2021 respectively.
She also disclosed that in 2020 her ministry received 3,730 reports for the six aforementioned compensatory species, while 4,047 reports were received in 2021.
The minister was responding to a question from Bobirwa MP, Taolo Lucas who had asked amongst other questions progress recorded so far in the promise of a review of compensation for payable species and rates for damage caused by wild animals, and the cause of delay in completing this exercise. In response, Kereng indicated that consultations on the amendment for compensation rates are still ongoing within government. She said the submission from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to Cabinet includes proposals to consider revising both the rates payable to farmers, and wildlife species which attract compensation.
She also revealed that the primary reason for limiting compensation to lions, leopards, hippos, rhinos, buffalos and crocodiles was that it is difficult for people to defend themselves against such dangerous animals. In terms of the number of reports involving non-compensatory species, Kereng said it totalled 976 and 997 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. “It is difficult to attach a value to the property damaged by the non-compensatory species, as there are no rates for damages caused by them,” she highlighted.
Kereng further said wildlife compensation competes for limited resources with other national priorities and needs. “To this end, one of the delays in completing the review of the compensation scheme has been how to achieve a balance between increasing both the rate paid for loss of livestock or agricultural property and the list of wildlife species that attract compensation, without depleting the government coffers that are required to enhance other aspects of sustainable development in the country,” Kereng emphasised.
She said this balancing act is also crucial when one considers that compensation by itself is not a panacea to resolving human-wildlife conflict, but instead forms part of the toolbox that her ministry uses to address human-wildlife conflicts.