Michelle A. Slavin
Conservation Education Trainer, UNITE for the Environment Program
Research: Minimizing human-wildlife conflict by improving school community perceptions of wildlife in Kibale National Park
Species/Topic: Human-Wildlife Conflict
Abstract: Human-wildlife conflict is an increasingly common occurrence in communities surrounding Uganda's Kibale National Park (KNP). A rapidly growing human population in areas immediately surrounding the park places large numbers of people and substantial areas of agriculture adjacent to significant wildlife populations. As a result, conflict (typically in the form of cropraiding) between wild animals has accelerated in recent years and is becoming detrimental to both human livelihoods and local perceptions of the National Park and its wildlife. Poor relationships between communities in the area and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA; responsible for management of the National Park) have exacerbated this problem. In order to address these issues the UNITE for the Environment Program (UNITE) of the North Carolina Zoo is requesting $3,010 to conduct four human-wildlife conflict training workshops for local communities. The workshops will be designed in collaboration with UWA and the Kibale Association for Rural and Environmental Development (KAFRED; a locally-run environmental development group) to provide a deeper understanding of the importance of Kibale National Park's wildlife, the role of UWA and how communities can work together to prevent humanwildlife conflicts. The training workshops will be targeted to community groups such as Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) and School Management Committees, which include local government leaders and other influential community members.