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Human–wildlife conflict in Zimbabwe is driven by competition for land, water and food, especially around Hwange and the Zambezi Valley. In 2026, community-led fencing, predator-proof livestock enclosures, water projects, education and improved monitoring are reducing risk, but serious challenges remain.
Last reviewed August 2026. Conservation data changes — see the cited sources for the latest figures.
Human–wildlife conflict in Zimbabwe remains a serious conservation and livelihood challenge, particularly where rural communities share boundaries with protected areas and wildlife corridors. Elephants can destroy crops and threaten people, while lions, hyenas and other predators may attack livestock; habitat fragmentation, drought and competition for water can intensify these encounters.
There are credible signs of progress in some landscapes. Wildlife Conservation Action (WCA) reports a 98% reduction in conflict incidents in Mbire, while the Chewore Conservation Trust (CCT), Awe for Nature Foundation and Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) are installing a 22-kilometre elephant- and predator-proof fence around Masoka in the Zambezi Valley. These results are local rather than proof that the national problem has been solved.
Zimbabwe contains large, connected wildlife landscapes beside communal farming areas, villages, schools and roads. The Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) is one of the clearest examples: people require land for farming, grazing, housing and water, while wildlife needs seasonal access to habitats and movement routes.
Conflict is not limited to one species. Elephants raid crops, damage gardens and may injure or kill people. Lions and spotted hyenas can take cattle, goats and other livestock. Wildlife moving through fragmented habitat may also encounter roads and other infrastructure. In Victoria Falls, the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust has worked on problem-elephant monitoring and immobilisation in urban conflict situations, alongside wider community and wildlife-health work.
The costs are unevenly distributed. A household that loses livestock may lose an important store of wealth, while crop damage can directly threaten food security. The Global Environment Facility has noted that communities living near protected areas may not receive enough financial benefit from wildlife, increasing the risk of retaliatory killing when conflict occurs. This is why coexistence is not achieved simply by protecting animals inside parks; it also requires practical protection, rapid response and fairer local benefits.
The history of conservation also matters. When decisions about wildlife are made without meaningful community participation, residents may see animals as a source of danger or loss rather than a shared economic and ecological asset. Current approaches therefore increasingly combine ZimParks enforcement with community scouts, education, livestock protection, water access and local involvement in project design.
Zimbabwe has more than 100,000 elephants according to Planet Forward, while the same source reports that ZimParks has stated an ideal capacity of 40,000 elephants. These figures describe a management challenge in Zimbabwe, not a reason to ignore the species’ wider conservation importance. Elephants remain threatened by poaching and habitat pressure in parts of Africa, but in Zimbabwe the concentration of elephants and people around shared water and agricultural landscapes creates difficult local trade-offs.
In KAZA, longer and more frequent droughts, together with development and growing human–wildlife interactions, are increasing competition for water and space. Agricultural expansion, villages, roads, fences and railways can also fragment habitats and wildlife corridors, forcing animals through human-dominated areas. Crop-raiding incidents are particularly damaging where households depend heavily on small-scale agriculture.
Water infrastructure can reduce unnecessary contact. In Masoka, CCT completed the second phase of a solar-powered piped water scheme in April 2026. Three additional 5,000-litre tanks increased total storage capacity to 20,000 litres, expanding access to clean water for the community. The project does not remove all conflict, but reducing the need for people to travel to risky water points can address one important pathway of exposure.
Lions often move beyond protected areas when prey, water or suitable habitat are less available. WCA founder and biologist Moreangels Mbizah established the organisation after witnessing a lion enter a village during her zoology PhD research in 2014, an encounter that resulted in the death of a young boy. Her experience illustrates why predator conservation and community safety must be addressed together.
WCA’s work in Mbire focuses on reducing livestock losses and improving coexistence across 2.6 million hectares of the Zambezi Valley. The organisation reports that its interventions safeguard nearly 18,000 livestock valued at about $2.3 million and have reduced conflict incidents by 98% in the area it serves. These are programme-reported results, so they should be understood in relation to WCA’s intervention area and monitoring methods rather than extrapolated to all of Zimbabwe.
Predator-proof bomas are one practical response. IFAW reports that its Zimbabwe-supported work includes predator-proof bomas for cattle, improved water sources and primary response teams; Dete Animal Rescue Trust (DART) has also worked with communities to create safer livestock enclosures and water points. Better night-time housing can reduce opportunities for lions and hyenas to attack penned animals, while community reporting can help responders act before a situation escalates.
Conflict rises when wildlife habitat and movement routes are fragmented. WWF identifies agriculture, expanding settlements and linear infrastructure as pressures that degrade corridors used by elephants and other wildlife between protected areas. A road, fence or new settlement may appear local, but its effect can be wider if it blocks seasonal movement and pushes animals into farms or towns.
Road collisions are another form of human–wildlife conflict. In 2026, Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) partnered with authorities, police and Zimbabwe’s Traffic Safety Council after two painted dogs were killed on a highway. The response included educational roadblocks, stronger monitoring near roads and messages urging motorists to reduce speed and remain alert in wildlife areas. The incident also connects conflict prevention with African wild dog conservation in Zimbabwe.
Poaching is not identical to human–wildlife conflict, but the pressures can reinforce each other. Where communities receive few benefits from wildlife, retaliation after crop or livestock losses can increase, and economic hardship may make participation in illegal wildlife trade more likely.
Wildlife protection also depends on funding. During the COVID-19 period, ZimParks revenues fell by 80% between April and June, according to information provided by the Zambezi Valley Biodiversity Project, creating a major operational gap for anti-poaching surveillance and wildlife monitoring. That historical example shows why conservation finance, tourism income and reliable public funding matter to both wildlife security and conflict response.
CCT has begun installing a 22-kilometre elephant- and predator-proof fence around Masoka in the Zambezi Valley. By 5 May 2026, 8 kilometres had been erected. Ten residents selected by the community joined the installation team, while other residents contributed through land clearing and patrols by community wildlife scouts.
The structure is important, but the governance model is equally significant. Masoka village heads were each allocated 1 kilometre of fence to oversee during the year, according to Dave Mhande, the village headman quoted by Awe Nature. Local responsibility can improve maintenance and accountability, although long-term effectiveness will depend on completing the fence, keeping it functional and ensuring that it does not block wildlife movement in inappropriate places.
Awe Nature, CCT and ZimParks assessed the Masoka project and other conflict-mitigation work during a May 2026 visit. The partnership demonstrates that durable solutions require cooperation between the statutory wildlife authority, conservation organisations and the communities living beside wildlife range.
Predator-proof bomas, community scouts and primary response teams target the moments when conflict is most likely to become a human or livestock casualty. IFAW describes primary response teams as a first line of defence, while DART-supported work has focused on safer cattle enclosures and water sources.
Monitoring technology can add another layer of prevention. The Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust has collared problem elephants in the urban area to monitor their movements and help prevent further conflict. In KAZA, WWF uses studies of the abundance, distribution and movements of elephants, lions and spotted hyenas to identify connectivity routes and conflict hotspots, helping managers decide where different interventions are most appropriate.
WWF Zimbabwe has established Green Clubs at schools to teach learners about animal behaviour, why wildlife enters community areas, agroecology and sustainable land management. At Kampandu Primary School, headmaster Muleya Nchobeni described occasions when learners had to be dismissed early because of the risk posed by elephants.
The clubs use poetry, music, dance, drama and storytelling to spread conservation messages beyond the classroom. WWF says learners can share information with parents, siblings and neighbours, extending awareness across communities. This work also addresses attitudes: an education programme cannot remove legitimate fear or loss, but it can replace misinformation with practical knowledge about animal behaviour and safer responses.
Tourism can support coexistence when a meaningful share of its value reaches communities and conservation operations. During the pandemic, reduced tourism income weakened ZimParks’ ability to support field operations, while rural district councils also faced losses because safari revenue contributes substantially to services in some areas.
Responsible safari operators can contribute through local employment, community projects, water access, education, conservation levies and support for wildlife authorities. Near Hwange National Park, Imvelo Safari Lodges has worked with communities on economic and educational benefits, conflict response, clean water and health care, according to a report on a workshop involving the Living Desert Zoo and Lupane State University.
A wildlife safari is therefore more than an opportunity to view animals. When properly managed, visitor spending can help maintain protected areas and support local livelihoods; when benefits bypass residents, tourism may do little to build tolerance. Travellers looking for a wildlife safari park or a community-based safari should ask operators how they support local people, whether staff are locally employed and which conservation or community programmes receive funding.
A “human safari” should never mean treating communities as attractions. It should mean travelling with respect for the people who live alongside wildlife, recognising their knowledge, rights and experience of risk. Travellers can book conservation-supporting safaris on SafariFind, while checking each operator’s claims and looking for transparent, locally grounded partnerships.
| Intervention or issue | Reported evidence | What remains uncertain or difficult |
|---|---|---|
| WCA conflict mitigation in Mbire | WCA reports a 98% reduction in conflict incidents across its intervention area, covering 2.6 million hectares. | The result is organisation-reported and should not be treated as a national Zimbabwe-wide figure. |
| Masoka protective fence | 8 km of a planned 22 km elephant- and predator-proof fence had been erected by 5 May 2026. | Completion, maintenance, animal movement and long-term community governance still matter. |
| Masoka water scheme | Phase 2, completed in April 2026, raised total storage capacity to 20,000 litres. | Water access can reduce exposure but cannot resolve crop-raiding or livestock predation alone. |
| School-based prevention | WWF Green Clubs teach wildlife behaviour, agroecology and coexistence, using creative activities to reach communities. | Education takes time and must be combined with physical safety and rapid response. |
| Wildlife monitoring | WWF uses connectivity studies, while the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust has used collars to monitor problem elephants. | Monitoring only helps when authorities and communities have the capacity to act on the information. |
The overall lesson is that no single intervention is sufficient. Fences may protect farms but can create ecological problems if poorly placed. Water schemes can reduce dangerous journeys but may also attract animals if designed without wildlife movement data. Predator-proof bomas work best when households can build, use and maintain them consistently. Education is valuable, but it cannot substitute for compensation, emergency response or safe infrastructure.
Zimbabwe’s strongest conservation responses treat human safety and wildlife protection as linked objectives. The Masoka fence and water scheme, WCA’s Mbire work, DART-supported bomas, WWF’s Green Clubs, road-safety measures for painted dogs and science-based corridor planning all point towards prevention rather than relying only on lethal responses after an incident.
Yet the pressure is likely to remain high where drought, habitat fragmentation, expanding settlements and large wildlife populations overlap. Zimbabwe will need sustained ZimParks capacity, reliable conservation finance, locally trusted response teams and decision-making that includes the people living closest to wildlife.
The most defensible definition of success is not simply more animals or more visitors. It is fewer injuries, deaths, crop losses and livestock attacks; functioning corridors; communities that receive fair benefits; and wildlife populations protected without shifting unacceptable costs onto rural households.
It is conflict between people and wild animals over safety, crops, livestock, water and space. In Zimbabwe, elephants commonly threaten crops and people, while lions and hyenas can prey on livestock, especially near protected areas and wildlife corridors.
The research highlights the Zambezi Valley, including Mbire and Masoka, communities near Hwange National Park, and the Victoria Falls area. Conflict can occur anywhere that settlements, farms, roads or water points overlap with wildlife movement.
Planet Forward reports that Zimbabwe has more than 100,000 elephants and cites a ZimParks stated ideal capacity of 40,000. These figures should be checked against the latest official wildlife census before being used for current management decisions.
Measures include elephant-proof fencing, improved water access, community wildlife scouts, monitoring of problem animals and education. In Masoka, an intended 22-kilometre elephant- and predator-proof fence was under construction in 2026, with 8 kilometres erected by 5 May.
Predator-proof bomas, rapid-response teams, community reporting and improved water access can reduce livestock losses and dangerous encounters. IFAW and DART-supported projects have used these approaches in Zimbabwe.
Wildlife Conservation Action reports a 98% reduction in conflict incidents in Mbire within its intervention area. WCA also reports work across 2.6 million hectares, safeguarding nearly 18,000 livestock valued at about $2.3 million.
WWF Zimbabwe’s Green Clubs teach learners about wildlife behaviour, safer coexistence, agroecology and sustainable land management. The programme was developed in communities where elephants can create enough risk for schools to dismiss learners early.
Yes, when tourism revenue supports local employment, community services, water, education, conflict response and protected-area operations. The COVID-19 period showed how falling tourism income can weaken conservation funding and local services.
Use responsible operators, follow guide instructions, keep a safe distance from animals, avoid photographing people without permission and ask how tourism benefits nearby communities and conservation programmes.
The central challenge is managing shared landscapes where drought, water competition, habitat fragmentation, development and wildlife movement overlap. Effective coexistence requires long-term funding, community participation, functioning corridors and practical protection for households.
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