Electric Fence Reduces Human Wildlife Conflict around Virunga National Park
Blog | 4/02/22
Constructed between November 2020 and June 2021, the 60.1 km electric fence around Mineko Sector is helping a lot to reduce crop raiding incidences. The fence has immensely reduced human wildlife conflict in the transboundary area and kept problem animals especially buffalos from raiding community gardens. “For the past ten years, we had given up on planting maize. Buffalos could raid our farms a few weeks to harvesting and we could make immense losses. However, that has changed. We have harvested maize twice since the electric fence was put in place,” says Byibesho Baudouine, Jomba village resident.
According to Virunga National Park authority, the new electric fence has reduced crop raiding incidences from around 194 recorded in November 2020 to zero cases recorded from June 2021 to date. This allowed for good harvest and enabled over 50,000 park-edge people to generate more food
and income from their farms. The electric fence has also improved safety for both animals and people and as well improved park-community relations. “The past crop raids were detrimental and saw some
buffalos killed by residents while in some cases, residents would be injured by the vicious animals in self-defense,” says Emmanuel Bahati Lukoo, Warden In-Charge of the Southern Part of Virunga
