Abstract
Damage to crops from wildlife interference is a common threat to food security among rural communities in or near Game Management Areas (GMAs) in Zambia. This study uses a two-stage model and cross-sectional data from a survey of 2769 households to determine the impact of land use planning on the probability and extent of wildlife-inflicted crop damage. The results show that crop damage is higher in GMAs as compared to non-GMAs, and that land use planning could be an effective tool to significantly reduce the likelihood of such damage. These findings suggest that there is merit in the current drive to develop and implement land use plans to minimize human-wildlife conflict such as crop damage. This is especially critical as Zambian conservation policies do not explicitly provide compensation for damage caused by wildlife.
Highlights
In sub-Saharan Africa, the basic needs of most rural poor households—such as food, water, fuel, clothing and shelter—are usually met by natural resources and ecosystem services from the land around them
Because extent of crop damage and, the effectiveness of a land use plan are likely to be greatest in Game Management Areas (GMAs) with large wildlife populations, we model this differential effect of land use plans
When land use planning is not interacted with the type of GMA, the results suggest that the land use plan does not affect crop damage in any statistically significant way
Summary
In sub-Saharan Africa, the basic needs of most rural poor households—such as food, water, fuel, clothing and shelter—are usually met by natural resources and ecosystem services from the land around them. In areas around game reserves, agriculture has to compete with wildlife for resources. The ever-increasing demand for land among competing uses suggests a need for land use planning in order to maximize benefits, minimize losses, and avoid conflict. In Zambia, land use planning in Game Management Areas (GMAs) has been promoted and facilitated by the former Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) since around 1998 (in 2015, ZAWA was replaced by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife). Land use planning is a consultative process involving stakeholders including the local communities which shows how a particular GMA should be managed [3]. Land use planning has the benefit of increasing agricultural production [4] due to the decrease in wildlife-inflicted damage to the crops in the protected areas. Land use planning is a very important step that should be taken if wildlife conservation is to be effective, because a land use plan will identify appropriate land uses around the GMA [5]
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