Human-wildlife conflict costs gov’t P38.4 million

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.