Historic Workshop Ushers in New Era for Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflict: Prevention IS the Cure

摘要

The Endangered Wildlife Trust, CapeNature and the National Council of SPCAs hosted a historic national workshop entitled: The holistic management of human-wildlife conflict in the agricultural sector of South Africa. The workshop brought together stakeholders from across South Africa representing the farming and agricultural sectors, provincial and national conservation authorities, conservation NGOs, animal welfare organisations, and academic institutions to: explore various exclusionary techniquesfor keeping damage-causing wildlife out of farming lands; develop a manual of guidelines for best practice on non-lethal 'problem animal' control/prevention/exclusion techniques for farmers and provincial authorities; develop a proposal for a revision ofthe relevant legislation including removing the prejudicial term 'problem animal' and the lists of 'vermin' species; develop proposed legislation on the banning of unethical and inhumane, non-target-specific lethal methods such as gin traps; explore thepossibility of establishing ethical brands for agricultural products such as beef and mutton, farmed using only ethical predator exclusion methods; investigate new methods of preventing damage caused by wildlife; share information and ideas between thevarious groups of stakeholders and create a better understanding of all sides of this contentious issue; and, raise the profile of this issue in the eye of the public, the authorities and the media.