| dc.description.abstract | Human-wildlife conflict remains a major challenge in wildlife conservation globally because of
an increase in human population, particularly in developing countries. The purpose of this study
was to assess the Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) around Murchison Falls National Park
(MFNP) in Nwoya District. Specifically, the objectives of the assessment were threefold: (i) to
examine the types of wildlife damages to humans and their property, (ii) to establish peoples'
knowledge regarding extent of human-wildlife conflict and conflict management and (iii) to
evaluate the status and effectiveness of human-wildlife conflict mitigation measures. There is
limited information available on HWC in Nwoya District. These objectives were achieved
through 132 samples using random sampling procedure. The data collected from the field were
then analyzed using descriptive statistics. The result showed that 68.2% (n=132) and 40.2%
(n=132) of the respondents reported that wildlife damages are manifested through crop damages
and livestock predation respectively. The HWC is high in severity and frequency in the study
area. This study showed that the African elephants, 83.3% was the most conflicting species for
wildlife damage, followed by the buffaloes 27.3% and Uganda kobs, 12.1%. Use of sound
(27.2%) was the most applied mitigation measure during HWC followed by light (23.5%).
65.15% of respondents showed dissatisfaction towards park Authorities' effort for conflict
management. The study recommended involvement of relevant stakeholders such as Uganda
Wildlife Authority (UWA) to actively involve and engage the affected communities in planning
for human-wildlife management to ensure effectiveness and sustainability. The coordination and
commitment of different stakeholders such as local government department, conservation
organization and UWA is key to enhance policies of compensation for wildlife damages | en_US |
