Dates: 2015-2016

Summary

This project was funded by FAO between 2015 and 2016.

In line with the work plan of the agreement signed between FAO and Cirad and the 6 months extension, our intervention focused on 2 main components: 

Component I: Game Ranching as an alternative land use option

Component II: Human-Elephant mitigation to secure NTFP collection

To achieve reasonable and tangible outputs in 18 months, the following steps were implemented

• Component I: Game Ranching as an alternative land use option. o January-March 2015: Students identification/recruitment and elaboration of a MoU with the Cawston Block Ranch. 

o April 2015: Inception workshop and signature of MoU

o May-September 2015: Field work 

o September 2015: Feed-back meeting at FAO Regional Office with technical partners. 

o November2015 : MSc defense (Game Ranching)  

• Component II: Human-Elephant mitigation to secure NTFP collection.

o January-March 2015: Students identification/recruitment, obtaining research authorization in Hwange National Parks and Sikumi Forest and logistics preparation. 

o April 2015: Field prospections (Chirundu, Hwange National Parks and Sikumi Forest) 

o May-September 2015: Field work 

o September 2015: Feed-back meeting at FAO Regional Office with technical partners. 

o November 2015: MSc defense (HWC) 

o December 2015: Training of trainers (Montpellier, 14-18 Dec.): “Data, from the field to web mapping”. (Involved: Cheryl Mabika & Georges Mapuvire). 

o February-June 2016: Questionnaire protocol implementation

o April 2016 : Local communities training in Hwange

Problems encountered and actions taken

• Component I: Game Ranching as an alternative land use option. 

Output 1: No particular problem, except the fact that relevant datasets (eg financial data) were not available for the whole period. In particular, economics analysis during the hyperinflation period (2000 onwards) was not feasible. 

Output 2: Communication materials were submitted and presented at 2 separate congress: the ATBC Congress in Montpellier (June 2016, see annexes 4A & 4B) and the IWRS congress at Windhoek (September 2016 , see annexes 5A & 5B). 

Output 3 : This output was implemented far beyond initial expectations since Wild Meat Program concept note and action documents were accepted for funding (2017-2023, 45M€, see Annexes 6A & 6B). 

• Component II: Human-Elephant mitigation to secure NTFP collection. 

Output 1 : Initial protocols and schedule of had to be adapted due to the specific space use and cropping patterns of elephants in the study area (irrelevance of GPS tracking approaches) and the time of the year (little occurrence of HEC in communal areas during the dry season). Human elephant conflict patterns were assessed using questionnaires and KOBO Collect during 2nd quarter of 2016 thanks to the 6 months extension of the initial LoA. This protocol is part of the MPhil of Miss Cheryl Mabika (2016-2017) funded by EU-DREAM project and final results are expected in the Mphil report. 

Output 3 (local communities capacitation) was implemented in April 2016 consecutively to a training session implemented in Montpellier Mid-December 2015. In agreement with FAO supervising officer, the funds dedicated the training in this LOA were allocated to cover the costs for the training of Mr Georges Mapuvire (BIOHUB) in Montpellier. The training in Hwange was then implemented by Mr Georges Mapuvire as part of an output of a LoA between FAO and BIOHUB.

Output 4. The deliverables initially proposed (IWRS symposium communication and CPW HWC factsheet) had to be redefined. HWC subjects were not eligible to IWRS. In addition, a CPW HWC factsheet was produced by another party during the implementation of the project. For this reason, we reoriented the deliverable towards a paper submitted to Pachyderm journal.