In rural communities, Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) can pose a serious threat to household food security, safety, and livelihoods, and in turn, undermine conservation efforts. Managing HWC has become an increasingly important component of managing wildlife populations and protected areas. The Ikorongo – Grumeti Game Reserve complex in the western Serengeti is an inspirational conservation success story, but the recovery of wildlife populations has had the unintended consequence of escalating the severity and frequency of negative interactions between people and wildlife. In this talk I will discuss the various strategies we have implemented to mitigate and prevent HWC in the western Serengeti, with an emphasis on the applications, requirements, and limitations of electric fencing as a tool to prevent crop damage by elephants.
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