Do Wildlife Management Areas Help to Mitigate Negative Human-Wildlife Interactions? A Case of Eastern Bufferzone of Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania

Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in the eastern buffer zone of Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve, while successful in reducing illegal wildlife offtake and habitat destruction, paradoxically increased negative human-wildlife interactions. Following WMA establishment, crop damage surged by 28.6%, livestock predation by 40.6%, and human attacks by 79.2%. The study, applying Citizen Science Theory (CST), analyzed data from 240 households, revealing that while WMAs expanded wildlife habitats and boosted populations, they also heightened conflicts with local communities. Annual crop damage averaged 7.2±0.1 acres near WMAs, compared to 0.6±0.1 acres farther away, with lions, leopards, hyenas, crocodiles, elephants, buffalo, and hippopotamuses identified as primary culprits. The research underscores the need for enhanced wildlife control measures, such as local monitoring, deterrents, public education, and predator-proof enclosures, to mitigate these interactions effectively.

Gayo, L., & Ngonyoka, A. (2025). Do Wildlife Management Areas Help to Mitigate Negative Human-Wildlife Interactions? A Case of Eastern Bufferzone of Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania. Tropical Conservation Science, 18. https://doi.org/10.1177/19400829251340581