LESSONS FROM C2C PILOT SITES

The C2C: Conflict to Coexistence approach has been piloted in Africa and Asia, across a range of sites that experience conflict situations of varying severity and complexity.

In Africa, pilot testing has been carried out in the vast Ruvuma landscape that spans southern Tanzania to northern Mozambique, and in Ntokou Pikounda national park in the Republic of the Congo.

In Asia, the approach has been tested in Thap Lan national park in Thailand which has the highest number of people affected by Human-Wildlife Conflict, approximately 21,000 households, and the smallest pilot site, Trong Gewog in Bhutan.

The lessons learned from these pilots have been used to further update the approach and methodology and continue to inform and improve the implementation of the C2C approach across a range of landscapes globally. The following are some lessons drawn from these pilots.

LESSONS ON MANAGING HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT USING THE C2C APPROACH IN TANZANIA

In the Ruvuma Landscape spanning from southern Tanzania to northern Mozambique, pastoralists and farmers have lived alongside wildlife for decades. Agricultural expansion, overgrazing, and infrastructure development are shrinking natural habitats and bringing wildlife into closer contact with communities. This is increasing the risk of Human-Wildlife Conflict, resulting in crop and livestock damage, threatened food security, human injury and sometimes death, and retaliatory killing of wildlife. Awareness-raising campaigns and isolated measures to protect fields and livestock have achieved some successes but have not led to a satisfactory overall result.

Lions close to habitation in Tanzania © Kate Vanelli/ WWF

In 2023–2024, WWF Tanzania facilitated the C2C approach process with a focus on highly affected community groups in six hotspot villages and 20 stakeholder groups. Their co-designed Human-Wildlife Conflict management strategy shares responsibilities among all stakeholder groups and was put into practice in July 2024.

Since the C2C approach is participatory and inclusive from the beginning, communities have understood that they play an important role in Human-Wildlife Conflict management and have started collaborating well with authorities. Monthly awareness sessions through village assembly meetings focus on adherence to land-use plans and good agricultural practices. Learn more.