Investigating the effect of monetary compensation on Human-Elephant Conflict : A qualitative study in Idodi and Pawaga Divisions, Tanzania

ABSTRACT Bergman Trygg, E. 2014. Investigating the effect of monetary compensation on Human-Elephant Conflict, A qualitative study in Idodi and Pawaga Divisions, Tanzania. Department of Social and Economic Geography, Uppsatser: Kulturgeografiska institutionen, Uppsala University. The purpose of this study is to investigate how a compensation scheme affects farmers’ attitudes toward elephants, the Tanzanian government and the concept of conservation. Another purpose is to see what respondents know about the scheme in relation to what is written in the scheme documents. This was done by conducting 20 qualitative interviews with farmers in five different villages in Idodi and Pawaga Divisions, Tanzania. Respondents were divided into two groups: One who had received compensation and one who had not. This aimed to distinguish differences between respondent groups, hence evaluating the efficacy of the compensation scheme and how it affects their attitudes. More interviews were conducted with victims or their relatives who had been attacked by wild animals in order to see what these victims knew of the scheme and how authorities handled attacks. Results showed small differences between the groups. Both had positive attitudes toward elephants and conservation, contradicting to what is presented in earlier studies. Attitudes toward the government were mainly negative due to suspicions of corruption. There were more positive attitudes toward the government among respondents who had received compensation. Knowledge of the scheme was low compared to what is written in the scheme documents. Keywords: Human-elephant conflict, compensation scheme, attitudes, farmers, Tanzania Supervisor: Bert Eriksson