ADVENTURES IN WILD AFRICA • TIMBO AFRIKA MISSION
Playing a role in averting humanwildlife conflict in Botswana’s Tuli Block
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or the first time in history, Botswana’s government, in cooperation with the Department of Wildlife & National Parks, proceeded to form a Private-Public Partnership between Government and Timbo Afrika, a private entity with operations that contribute towards Botswana’s tourism industry. Today, this ground-breaking partnership has resulted in a team erecting a new 30km-long fence on the outskirts of the nearest village Mathathane, which borders the Central Tuli Wilderness areas. This tremendous milestone is slated to offer long term protection of agricultural areas and local communities from the conflict that results when wildlife and agriculture compete for land resources. The Timbo Afrika mission is one that assures inhabitants of this area that these better and stronger ‘elephant proof’ fences, will protect people and animals from each other. THE CASE OF HUMANS VERSUS AFRICA’S WILDLIFE POPULATION The case of Africa’s human-wildlife conflict isn’t new as urban sprawl and human migration patterns have often led to people encroaching on lands that have historically been the natural habitats