Human - Wildlife Conflicts; Conservation & Livelihood Strategies

Benefits individuals and nation get from wildlife conservation and losses local people surrounding wildlife protected areas incurred due to crop raiding done by wild animals are real. Local people are crucial stakeholders in conservation who guarantee prevalence of recorded successes of conservation in Western Serengeti Ecosystem. Necessity to address their justifiable negative perception on wildlife conservation measures to their livelihood is inevitable. Increased population of local people & wild animals, poor land use plan, lack of awareness of local people on responsibility of conservationist and government in controlling crop raiding promote the problem. More research on movements and requirements of problem animals e.g. elephants which make them to raid crops is needed; however, raising of awareness to local people & conservationists on what legally and morally should be done to control the problem require instant application. This requires changes in the content of education offered to conservationists; formal and informal education offered to local people. Content of Education for Sustainability can play a great role in raising the required awareness to combat the problem.