The Mirror of Man-Animal Conflict in Gorongoza National Park

Delso Khosa"

Since its existence, man has always faced conflicts of a religious, political, economic, cultural, social, environmental, technological, ethnic, historical nature and even with animals. Without a doubt, the occupation of space for residence, agricultural and livestock practices are fertile ground for the emergence of conflicts between man and wild animals. After all, what is a conflict? According to Grimshaw (1990:2), it is a “game of disputes”, which refers to fighting, causing material damage and loss of life. Therefore, conflict or the lack of recognition of a certain space for negotiations and claims, these managed by communication strategies. For the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) (2020:3), "conflicts arise when the presence or behavior of wild animals poses real or perceived, direct and recurring threats to human interests or needs, leading to disagreements between groups of people and negative impacts on people and/or wild animals". The conflict between man and wild animals is fueled by the search for survival of both; however, the great responsibility falls on the human being, who is the rational agent and defender of these species.

Coexistence between humans and wild animals depends on the conditions created by the responsible organization and the care of these habitats, but also on the ways in which communities relate to these habitats and how they are viewed by those responsible for managing the animals. The situation in Gorongoza National Park (GNP) between the park and communities presents permanent and continuous conflicts. The IUCN (2023) maps the basic characteristics of conflict between humans and animals as: i) attacks on communities, in which animals feel real harm and threats, which can cause material damage and loss of human life, making the conflict recurrent; ii) conflict between humans and wild animals triggers social conflict, in which communities and conservation managers involve each other to maximize losses; iii) the conflict results from endangered species, with one side trying to protect them and the other trying to annihilate them.

For example, illegal hunting of wildlife does not necessarily constitute human-wildlife conflict if the animals are killed solely for the purpose of obtaining meat, body parts or a trophy, for commercial, recreational or cultural reasons. If, however, the animals hunted are also responsible for the damage caused to livelihoods, then their killing may have been influenced by this context and therefore be considered a degree of human-wildlife conflict..

Therefore, when observing the occurrence of three types of conflicts between communities and the protectors of conservation sites, it is clear that the manifesto of conflicts is rooted in the protection and survival of both. Evidently, the manifesto of conflicts in question is expanded by the characteristics of identities, such as attitudes, behaviors and community beliefs, which means that the minimization of conflict cannot be seen superficially. There is a need to expand the spheres of transparent and inclusive dialogue to understand/eliminate the differences between both, which implies the elaboration of a risk communication plan as a viable method for the protection of species and also respect for the rights of communities. According to the IUCN (2023), the process and complexity of the conflict between humans and animals require coexistence, which means the recognition of the sharing of space (wildlife, landscapes and natural resources) between both; however, it is not enough. There must be cooperation. Coexistence focuses on interactions in multiple spaces between both; it expands and resolves contextual problems; is sustainable (ecologically, socially, economically, culturally and technologically); considers power, justice and equity; and promotes self-awareness among conservation managers.

On March 2, 1920, a hunting reserve was designated in the district of Gorongosa, with an area of ​​1,000 km² until November 1935. On July 23, 1960, the area was elevated to the category of National Park and a 20-year public-private partnership was established in 2008 for its management. Currently, the GNP, which covers more than 4,000 km² of conservation areas for animals and plants, has generated timeless conflicts between communities and animals. On February 4 of this year, the online newspaper A Carta reported that prisoners had escaped from the Penitentiary Establishment in the district of Gorongosa, in the province of Sofala, in the central region of the country. A few days later, an electronic document was shared with the names of 50 citizens, with procedural data and the types of crimes attributed to the escaped prisoners. In statistical terms, the table below, with a total of 49 citizens analyzed, shows that there are more crimes committed by theft/robbery, rape and poaching. Nine crimes were classified, of which the crime of theft/robbery has 21 citizens, 10 citizens for rape and the third crime of poaching, with 10 prisoners. The sum of the crimes of “poaching and possession of illegal natural resources” is close to the conflict between man and wild animals that exists in the PNG.

Source: Gorongoza District Penitentiary (compiled by the author).

Therefore, the data in the table demonstrate that the situation of coexistence between humans and conservation species presents pending conflicts related to poaching and possession of illegal natural resources, which can compromise the safety of the species, the PNG and safari tourism. Thus, there is an urgent need to implement participatory and inclusive communication with communities, especially with young people, in order to understand the root of the problem, without disregarding the anthropological and sociological aspects, as well as the weaknesses of public policies. With this participatory and inclusive communication, it will be possible to expand the alternatives to solve the problem through a strategy of including young people in the protection of the PNG, sustainable corporate social responsibility actions, training, strategies for coexistence between humans and wild animals, in addition to also developing a risk communication plan.

2025/12/3