Community Participation in Enhancing Prevention of Human-Wildlife Conflicts in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of community participation in enhancing the prevention of Human-Wildlife Conflicts (HWC) in Kilimanjaro National Park. The study was guided by Theory of Planned Behavior with three specific research objectives which were to analyze the community participation practices in mitigating HWCs, to determine the impact of the community participation initiatives in mitigating HWCs, and to find out the deficiencies in community participation practices in mitigating HWCs. The study adopted a pragmatism research philosophy, a mixed-method research approach and a convergent research design. The target population was 830 people whereby probability and non-probability sampling techniques were used to obtain 86 research participants through purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Data was collected by using questionnaires and interview guides. Validity and reliability of the research instrument was ensured by IAA lectures and experts for feedback and improvement of instruments. Data was analyzed through descriptive and thematic analysis techniques. Findings revealed positive participation in community meetings related to wildlife conservation efforts, unsatisfactory collaboration between community members and wildlife authorities in addressing HWCs, inadequate workshops or education sessions on understanding wildlife behavior, disagreement with decrease in HWCs, and disagreement with receiving training on handling HWCs. The study underscores the importance of peaceful coexistence between human and wild animals. To mitigate the problem, the study recommends improvement of collaborative efforts through effective communication channels between the park and community members and organizing educational workshops to enhance understanding of wildlife behavior.