Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) in collaboration with Grumeti Fund have conducted a training aimed at equipping members of local communities living adjacent the Serengeti ecosystem, with friendly techniques to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.
The intensive practical and theoretical training kicked off last Wednesday at Hunyari, a rural village of Bunda District, located near Ikorongo/Grumeti game reserves and the Serengeti National Park in Mara region.
Besides representatives from the local villages, the training further involved participants from Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA), IKona Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and game officers from Bunda and Serengeti district councils.
Presenting a topic during the training, Mr Revocatus Meney, a researcher from TAWIRI said Serengeti district is leading with high rate of human-wildlife conflict cases, followed by Bunda district in the list of 81 districts countrywide.
Thus, Mr Meney said the training seeks to come up with trainers who will disseminate the skills and friendly techniques to mitigate the effects of human-wild animals conflict, especially those related with destruction of crops caused by elephants.
“Those who are being trained will be provided with working tools,” the TAWIRI researcher said, adding that the friendly techniques being recommended to stop destruction caused by elephants on farms, also will be offered economic opportunities to the local communities.
Bunda District Commissioner (DC), Mr Joshua Nassari officially opened the training, describing it as a significant step in preventing the increasing human/ wildlife conflicts in the villages located near the wildlife conservation areas in western Serengeti.
“Take this training to many people in our villages,” Mr Nassari told the participants.
The DC also urged TAWIRI and Grumeti Fund to expand the human-wild animals conflict mitigation training initiative to cover large part of the villages that are prone to destructive wild animals, especially elephants .
Grumeti Fund is a nonprofit organization that supports conservation and community development activities in Western Serengeti.
“We have seen that there is a need to help farmers and conservationists, and hosting this training on human-wildlife conflict mitigation is part of contribution as a conservation stakeholder,” Grumeti Fund Relationships Manager, Mr David Mwakipesile said on the sidelines of the training.
The local communities welcomed the training, hoping that it will change things for the better.
“This training reminds us not to interfere with elephant routes and habitats by farming and keeping animals or building residential houses on wild animals’ routes”, said Christabel John, one of the participants.
On his part, Deus Sumuni, a secretary of a community group that prevents destructive elephants in the area said: “The training is useful because it has helped us to know which crops are not preferred by elephant.
For More News And Analysis About Tanzania Follow Africa-Press
