Overview
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC), especially with elephants, is a growing challenge in Mozambique, endangering conservation and community livelihoods. As populations expand, conflicts intensify, leading to crop destruction, property loss, and diminishing tolerance for wildlife.
This project supports a comprehensive HWC management system across 32 high-impact districts. This project engages communities and district officials, deploys Rapid Response Units (RRUs), and promotes sustainable agricultural practices, equipping local communities and authorities with essential tools for safer human-elephant interactions.
Partners
Ecosystems
Croplands
Savannah, Shrublands and Grasslands
Key Biodiversity Areas
Overview
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC), especially with elephants, is a growing challenge in Mozambique, endangering conservation and community livelihoods. As populations expand, conflicts intensify, leading to crop destruction, property loss, and diminishing tolerance for wildlife.
This project supports a comprehensive HWC management system across 32 high-impact districts. This project engages communities and district officials, deploys Rapid Response Units (RRUs), and promotes sustainable agricultural practices, equipping local communities and authorities with essential tools for safer human-elephant interactions.
Partners
Ecosystems
Croplands
Savannah, Shrublands and Grasslands
Objectives
- Strengthen MWA’s existing HWC management system to ensure continued support and expansion across 32 high-impact districts effectively.
- Promote safer human-elephant interactions.
- Coexistence between people and elephants through safe spaces for communities with food security, health, and social projects.
- Provide training, HWC mitigation tools, and sustainable agricultural techniques to support conflict management.
CBD Targets
Landscape Approach
”The partnership has transformed how many of our rural communities in Mozambique perceive wildlife. Animals like elephants were always seen as something to fear. But thanks to quick action teams, hands-on training, and smart planning, people feel safer and more capable of handling potential wildlife conflicts.
Antonio Alverca
Human-Wildlife Conflict Manager, MWA
Results/Impact
In some areas of Mozambique, human-elephant conflict has become so intolerable that local communities have been forced to abandon their land. This therefore remains one of the major barriers to conservation as communities see conservation efforts as negatively impacting their lives and livelihoods. Through MWA’s tested three-phase approach communities’ wellbeing and their acceptance of wildlife will improve through the mitigation of conflict, and conservation agriculture combined with income diversification means communities will be more resilient to future shocks.
6
RRUs in operation across 9 districts
509
individuals trained in mitigation methods last year
50
hectares protected by electric fences supporting 72 families
