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A manual for reducing and mitigating Human Elephant conflict - KAZA
| Author: | Connected Conservation and KAZA TFCA Secretariat |
| Language: | |
| Topic: | Conservation |
| Type: | Strategy and guides |
| Last updated: | 13 April 2026 |
The Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) manual on reducing and mitigating Human–Elephant Conflict (HEC) provides guidance for communities, farmers, and wildlife managers living alongside elephants in one of Africa’s largest transboundary conservation landscapes. The KAZA region spans Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, hosts approximately 250,000 African elephants, and supports around three million people, many of whom depend on subsistence agriculture. As human populations expand and land is converted for farming and infrastructure, interactions between people and elephants have increased, making HEC a major conservation and livelihood challenge.
Human–elephant conflict occurs when interactions negatively affect human wellbeing or elephant conservation. The most common impacts include crop destruction, damage to grain stores and property, attacks on humans, and competition for water and other resources. Crop raiding is particularly severe during crop maturation periods and droughts, when elephants seek high-energy foods or stored grain. Although human fatalities are less frequent, they are considered the most serious outcome of conflict. Drivers of HEC include habitat loss, human population growth, expanding agriculture, and the adaptability and intelligence of elephants.
The manual emphasizes understanding elephant behaviour, including their strong social structures, high intelligence, reliance on smell and hearing, and seasonal movement patterns driven by food and water availability. Such knowledge helps inform more effective conflict mitigation strategies.
A wide range of mitigation measures is presented, combining short- and long-term approaches. These include repellents such as chilli-based deterrents and beehive fences; crop guarding and vigilance; barriers like electric fencing, trenches, and buffer zones; land-use planning to separate agriculture from elephant habitats; and education and awareness programmes. Financial incentives from tourism and compensation schemes can help offset losses, while translocation or lethal control are considered last-resort measures.
The manual concludes that successful HEC management requires integrated, community-based approaches, ongoing training, and accurate monitoring of conflict hotspots. Sustainable coexistence depends on combining technical solutions with social, economic, and policy measures that support both rural livelihoods and elephant conservation.
