Human-Wildlife Conflicts: The Case of Livestock Grazing Inside Tsavo West National Park, Kenya.

Abstract

In Tsavo West National Park, human wildlife conflict is more prevalent due to high human populations and the incompatible land use practices in the adjacent areas. Human settlement in adjacent areas and illegal grazing in the park by the pastoralists contribute to direct conflict between wildlife, livestock and human beings. In this research a total of 220 households were sampled from different areas adjacent to Tsavo West national park. Key informants interviews of about 50 respondents were conducted. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) computer soft-ware version 11.5. Both descriptive and analytical procedures were used in data analysis. The research investigated the root causes and impacts of the livestock and wildlife interactions that perpetuate the problems and suggested potential effective remedial measures to curb the conflicts. The observations in the study reveal that livestock incursion exist in Tsavo West National park.

Keywords; Wildlife, Livestock, National park, and Conflict