Negative human-wildlife interactions do not only have adverse effects on rural livelihoods but also lead to negative attitudes toward wildlife conservation. This research uses primary data collected from 221 randomly selected households in the Okavango Delta to analyze their perceptions on poaching and community involvement in anti-poaching activities. The results reveal that the majority of the respondents acknowledge the existence of poaching within their communities. Close to 50% of the respondents noted that they poach for subsistence purposes. There is a generally low participation rate in antipoaching efforts in the study area. The study concludes that the negative attitudes of communities toward wildlife and wildlife conservation threaten wildlife sustainability in the Okavango Delta. There is a need to strike an intricate balance between wildlife conservation and improving communities' welfare and tolerance to wildlife through designing effective institutions that are aligned to local realities.

The current trends in water resources management underscore management of the resource as an economic good. Consequently, management strategies overlook demographic and social factors that influence domestic water consumption. Adopting water as an economic good conceptual framework, in a case study approach, a total of 120 household heads and two officials from Zimbabwe National Water Supply Authority (ZINWA) were selected in Karoi. While quantitative data were analysed using descriptive (frequency, percentages, etc.) and inferential statistics (t-test, ANOVA etc.), content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. Findings revealed that while economic factors play a role in influencing domestic water consumption, demographic and social factors play equally the same in determining water consumption at the household level. The study recommends a further study to understand the role of demographic and socio-economic factors which affect water consumption.

No abstract

No abstract