THE EPI &
HUMAN-ELEPHANT CONFLICT
The EPI Foundation will pursue two inter-related strategies to galvanise support for EPI countries to help them manage and avoid human wildlife conflict and ensure the harmonious coexistence of elephants and people to 2030 and beyond;
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Managing existing human wildlife conflicts, by deploying the best available technologies and techniques, and;
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Avoiding the conditions that could lead to future conflicts, through spatial planning and, again, the best use of available technologies and techniques.
The EPI Foundation will attract core expertise on human wildlife conflict, just as it has done for ivory stockpile management. This will include a toolkit on available techniques and technologies for addressing current conflicts and avoiding future conflicts, for deployment across the continent.
There are already human wildlife projects in many parts of Africa, but the continent needs a more coordinated and mutually supportive approach. The EPI offers this opportunity. It will encourage the deployment of existing and new technologies and techniques across the continent to address human wildlife conflict, and to support spatial planning. A possible increase in overall poaching, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, makes the deployment of advanced technology and other means of resolving conflicts more important than ever.