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The government has passed up an opportunity to review its policy on compensation for victims of human-wildlife conflict after receiving numerous complaints that the current compensation amounts are inadequate.
The report shows that currently the government does not provide monetary compensation for animal attacks or injuries. Instead, the government covers the cost of transporting the animal to a medical facility and any necessary medical assistance. In the event of a fatality, the family of the deceased will receive 70,000 pesos to cover funeral expenses and loss of income.
Now, the government has rejected the recommendation of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on the Constitutional Review to provide compensation for deaths of wildlife, especially elephants, and damage to crops.
The recommendations were part of a presidential commission of inquiry into Botswana’s constitutional review and were set out in a recently approved government white paper.
The committee had recommended that the government pay a compensation of P1 million to the families of people killed by wild animals and provide compensation of up to P500,000 for crop losses caused by wild animals. However, the government rejected the proposal, saying that the Wildlife Conservation and National Parks Act already gives the minister discretion to fix the amount of compensation through regulations.
“The government rejected the proposal, arguing that the Wildlife Conservation and National Parks Act provides for the determination of the amount of compensation. The minister has the power to specify the amount by regulation and the amount specified by the committee is too general,” the document said.
The government also rejected the committee’s recommendation to establish a social protection scheme for wildlife attack victims and beneficiaries. The government argued that existing legislation, such as the Animal Protection Act (Livestock and Other Property Damage Compensation Act) and the National Environment Fund Act, as well as other administrative social protection schemes, already provided adequate protection.
“The government rejected the proposal on the grounds that there was no need to establish a social security scheme as it was provided for under existing legislation, such as the Animal Protection Act (compensation for damage to livestock and other property) and the National Environment Fund Act, in addition to other administrative social security schemes,” the white paper reads.
The government currently pays 35 percent of the value of livestock for livestock killed by carnivores. For crop losses caused by wild animals, the government will compensate for the costs incurred, such as repairing broken fences or replacing destroyed seeds.
Meanwhile, the government said it was committed to improving labour conditions in the tourism sector. The white paper recognised a proposal to amend labour laws to address alleged abuses against tourism workers. The government agreed to review all labour laws to ensure workers are protected from abuse and to consult with various sectors to address specific issues, including in the tourism sector.
In addition, the government rejected the committee’s recommendation that Botswana withdraw from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), cull elephants, and sell or destroy ivory to mitigate the impact of elephant extinction on communities. The government stressed the importance of remaining in CITES to influence international decision-making and recommended that the Ministry of Tourism explore other ways to manage the elephant overpopulation problem with the assistance of CITES.
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