ELEPHANT INDABA HIGHLIGHTS POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE HUMAN ELEPHANT CONFLICT
- O&A Team
- August 12, 2025
- Bonus Read, Conservation, People
- DFFE, Elephant conservation legislation, Elephant Indaba, human elephant conflict
- 0 Comments
Potentially destructive human elephant conflict emerged at this week’s Elephant Indaba
Human elephant conflict took centre stage at this week’s Elephant Indaba that was held at Bonamanzi Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal and hosted by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
Although the theme of this Indaba was “people and elephants thriving together” discussions between key stakeholders – including government, conservationists, investors and community leaders – quickly escalated and unearthed immense frustration surrounding allegations of poor management of elephant populations by both private and public reserves.
During an event that became increasingly emotional and political, hunting, culling, loss of crops and human lives were all placed on the table. Potential land ownership conflicts within conservation areas as well as a lack of engagement with communities were highlighted with poor communication by conservation bodies and red tape in the wake of elephant related incidents escalating throughout the day.
Complaints of corrupt officials and a lack of accountability for poor workmanship in mending fences around reserves came from community representatives whilst provincial authorities protested about the cost of conservation and burgeoning elephant populations in private reserves causing massive ecological damage.
Much of the anger was directed at Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), Mr Narend Singh, who opened the dialogue, attempting to be a voice of reason but not denying the urgency of a situation that is clearly out of control.
Singh noted that this very first Elephant Indaba was “more than a meeting” and that it was no accident that it co-incided with World Elephant Day 2025. Instead, this was not only a national first but also “a deliberate and powerful statement”.
Stressing the ecological importance, cultural meaning and conservation needs of elephants, Singh noted: “By gathering here in Southern Africa, the region that holds over half of the continent’s elephants, we are placing our voices, our strategies and our shared commitments directly in the
global spotlight, it signals to the country and to the world that we recognize both our responsibility and our opportunity to safeguard this keystone species, not only as natural heritage, but as a living bridge between our past, our present and the future we wish to create.”
He noted that the African savanna elephant was far more than the largest land mammal on earth: “Elephants are both revered and resisted. They are celebrated in our stories but feared in the lived realities of many rural families. In recent years, human elephant conflict has shifted from isolated incidents to a pressing socio ecological crisis in parts of our country and across the region.
Singh declared that, over the past months, he had seen the growing challenges of human elephant conflicts in provinces such as the North West Mpumalanga and KwaZulu Natal, particularly in areas bordering the Kruger National Park, the Isimangaliso Wetland Park and various transfrontier conservation areas.
He said some of the realities were fields of maize or sugarcane flattened overnight, boundary fences pushed down, water infrastructure damaged during dry spells and the loss of human lives.
“For a child who must walk to school in the early morning, the presence of an elephant nearby is not inspiring. It is terrifying for a farmer whose only source of income is destroyed in a single night. The elephant represents not opportunity, but economic ruin,” he explained.
Singh declared that the conflict was not a failure of the elephants: “Elephants, like many living forms of life, are naturally drawn to places that offer them water, food and safety. The challenges are the reflection of broader pressures, expanding human settlements, competition for land and water, climate change impacts, habitat fragmentation and insufficient conflict prevention systems.”
Singh said an aerial survey over parks in Mpumalanga in which he had participated had proved deeply concerning with hundreds of homes and community structures built within designed buffer zones that were specifically intended to separate people from high risk wildlife areas.
“When these safety zones are ignored, conflict is inevitable, proving exactly that zones exist for a reason. I witnessed elephants targeting mango trees, the very source of livelihood for many, creating direct competition between the humans and wildlife for food.
“I also saw how water is available only at the fence lines, drawing elephants dangerously close to these settlements… we need to amend and redirect the ways that we conduct ourselves. This is a reality we must confront honestly. It means responsibility must be shared, government, conservation agencies and communities all have a role to play in managing the risks,” he explained.
He said community protests by community members from Ulundi due to a herd of roaming elephants from the privately owned Mawana Game Reserve, together with various incidents in both the North West and Limpopo areas signified that this was a national challenge, not a provincial problem.
“High elephant populations, human settlement in high-risk zones, insufficient deterrence and fragmented responses are placing both communities and elephants in danger. Our priority should be to strengthen community participation to ensure the protection of human life and infrastructure,” Singh added.
He added that discussions with a scientist from India who had shared practical approaches that had worked in their elephant conflict zones. These included creating water wells for elephants away from human settlements and planting specific vegetation that naturally draws elephants to safe zones.
“That is why this Indaba is so important. It is not merely about managing elephant numbers or fencing protected areas. It is about rebuilding relationships between people and nature, between traditional wisdom and modern science, and between local voices and national policy. We aim to build a shared understanding of elephant management and conflict mitigation across southern Africa. We aim to strengthen cooperation among select elephant range states, particularly through our trans frontier conservation areas.”
Singh said the aim was to identify practical science based and community led interventions for coexistence and to develop a concrete regional action plan that benefits both people and elephants, ensuring that coexistence is more than just a slogan.
He called for an “element of reasonableness” to deal with escalating conflict as well as damage to people and infrastructure.
Singh also noted that South Africa had a proud history of conservation successes. These included the recovery of species from the brink of extinction, the establishment of some of the largest protected areas in Africa and the co-development of the trans frontier conservation vision.
“But leadership today requires more than fences and formal reserves. It demands that we place human dignity, equity and justice at the heart of conservation. Our policies reflect the shift in the white paper on conservation and sustainable use of South Africa biodiversity and the draft national elephant heritage strategy both developed through extensive consultation since 2018 and which will be published in the coming months, calls for inclusivity, transformation, ethical wildlife management and meaningful benefit sharing with communities. We must commit to proactive, not reactive solutions.”
He called for early warning systems using technology and community patrols, equitable benefit sharing from tourism and biodiversity enterprises ensuring rural communities gained from the elephants alongside which they lived as well as stronger partnerships with traditional authorities.
Singh said that any strategies that were implemented needed to ensure that interventions respected elephants’ natural instincts while protecting both people and wildlife.
He said that, as a department, the DFFE would like to see both general strategies and specific solutions tailored to the unique issues faced in identified hotspots: “Let us commit to applying science with compassion, sharing resources and knowledge regionally, and acting with urgency, because both people and elephants cannot wait. World elephant day is about celebration, but here today, it is also about commitment. If we truly want to protect our people, conserve our elephants and create a future of coexistence, then accountability cannot be optional.”
