Assessment of human-wildlife conflict around Murchison Falls National Park in Nwoya District

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