Human-wildlife coexistence in Omay communal land, Nyaminyami Rural District Council in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The coexistence between humans and wildlife has sparked a fire unquenchable in Omay communal land. Omay communal land is an unprotected area where wildlife and humans have been coexisting before and after the formation of the Nyaminyami District subsequent to the construction of Kariba Dam to date. Human-wildlife conflicts have turn out to be more frequent and severe over recent decades as a consequence of human population growth, extension of transport routes, and expansion of agricultural and industrial activities that have led to increased human encroachment on previously wild and uninhabited areas. In Omay communal land, this has since led to an increased competition for the available natural habitats and resources. Some households experience serious losses whereas other households go unscathed, especially the ones that are far from the borders of wildlife habitats. It is factual that human-wildlife conflicts are inevitable if the two are to share the same land. The conflicts are exacerbated as humans encroach on wildlife corridors and, potentially, as wildlife repopulate human-dominated landscapes of Omay communal land.