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Chili + Fence = No Elephants! |
Elephants
have been wreaking havoc in areas surrounding
Liwonde
National Park
in
Southern Malawi
, destroying crops and causing deaths amongst the local populations due to
elephant stampedes. An electric fence and a lot of chilies have recently
done wonders to reduce this human/wildlife conflict.
Past
Failures
When
the South African wildlife project first brought the idea of constructing a
fence in 1993 to prevent elephants and hippos from escaping from their natural
habitat, communities felt that the fence stood as a barrier for them to access
resources from the park i.e. water, wood and even illegally obtained game meat
and fish.
What
happened? The fence was vandalized, brought down to the ground and the steel
poles were stolen. The fence wire was used as wire snare to trap animals in the
very same park.
In
what might be called a tit for tat scenario, marauding elephants also found
their way out on several occasions, wreaking havoc in all the surrounding
communities, destroying people’s crops and resulting in several deaths.
With
the passage of time, lost property and the feeling of insecurity among local
communities became the order of the day. The communities acknowledged the
important role the fence could play in protecting their lives and property. They
later mobilized themselves and joined hands with the government to erect a new
solar powered electric fence that is jointly being guarded.
Project
Chili Pepper!
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Chili marketing in progress |
Apart
from the physical guarding of the fence to prevent vandalism, a new idea was
initiated that saw the introduction of the Chili Pepper Production Project. The
project selected the communities on the eastern part of the park close to
Nafiulu Hill and the nearby Scouts Camp there.
The
Community Partnership in Sustainable Natural Resource Management in Malawi
(COMPASS) funded the construction of a learning block plus the initial training
for the local people in successful chili production.
The
Chili Pepper was emulated following successful ventures that have proven
effective in reducing conflicts between human and wildlife in the neighboring
South African Development Community (SADC) States of Zimbabwe and
South Africa
.
After
exploring the possibility of embarking on the production, Frankfurt Zoological
Society Project Manager David Bradfield, who works at
Liwonde
National Park
, played an important role in ensuring that the chilies be planted along the new
model fence boundary in the surrounding
village
of
Njahito
and Makhote.
Bradfield,
who is in
Liwonde
National Park
under the German-funded Frankfurt Zoological Society, said, “Strides have
been made in the Chili Production Project that aims at uplifting the local
people’s livelihood.”
According
to National Smallholder Farmers of Malawi (NASFAM), the variety of chili planted
in 2002/03 that was recommended for production is the “bird eye” variety.
In
an interview from
Liwonde
National Park
headquarters 120 km from
Malawi
’s commercial capital
Blantyre
, the Parks and Wildlife Department Assistant responsible for education and
extension, Mathias Elisa, says, “Observations conducted during chili
production revealed that elephants keep diverting from all the areas that the
chili pepper production was being done in. This resulted in reduced conflicts
between humans and wildlife,” Elisa said, adding, “Elephants hate the smell
of chili, especially when the stems have been burnt. It appears they experience
poor vision and therefore distance themselves from were the chili is growing.”
Protection
and Improved Livelihood
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Wildlife official proudly displays chili seeds |
Once
harvested and graded, the bird eye is marketed to
Europe
especially
Holland
,
Spain
and
Italy
where it is used together with paprika to make powder used in pepper sprays.
According
to records sourced from the
Liwonde
Park
, local committees have benefited economically from the sales of chili after
marketing. The total sales of chili amounted to MK190,000 ($1,500) resulting in
an average benefit of MK2,900 per household.
Following
the successful results in chili production, many people living adjacent to the
park have already registered their interest in forming new clubs once seed
distribution commences the next growing season.
“The
response has been overwhelming. Right now 13 new clubs have been established in
Traditional Authority Liwonde in Machinga District,” says Elisa who
coordinates Chili Project activities from the wildlife department.
The
Chili Project has given the surrounding communities of
Liwonde
National Park
an alternative means of livelihood. Management has faced enormous difficulties
contending the pressure from the people close to the park. Illegal resource
users enter the protected park to collect wood or to hunt the different species
of animals found in this park, which is a haven for wildlife.
The
park lost 10 sq km in 1980 due to encroachment reducing its original size from
548 km sq to the present 538 km sq. This is enough evidence of the challenges it
faces with the rapid booming population.
The
park is straddled by the Shire River, Malawi’s longest and biggest river,
which quite often experiences fish poachers that use dugout canoes to catch
fish. Being in a protected area, the
Shire
River
portion of the Park acts as a breeding ground for fish that swims backs to
Lake
Malombe
and
Lake Malawi
. Fishermen prefer to poach the variety of fish species present in this portion
of the river.
A
report sourced from the Education and Extension Unit of the Park states that the
chili activity acts as an income generating activity for the surrounding
communities. The sale alleviates the problem the people face in their day-to-day
life. Furthermore, the pressure exerted on the park has been eased, as people
are being made busy with chili production.
To
ensure successful chili production, NASFAM field technical assistants frequently
train the producers in field management, spacing, transplanting, proper
harvesting, grading and storage in addition to marketing.
*
Charles Mkoka is an independent Malawian
environmental writer with much experience in environmental issues. He has worked
in the field of environment and natural resources since 1996, after graduating
from the
Malawi
Natural
Resources
College
. Apart from being a writer, he is also a wildlife educator, specialist and
guide. You can reach him at: mkokach@yahoo.com.
