Elephants in the north west have increased from about 200 in the early 1980s to over 700 today. Incidents of conflict between elephants and people have similarly increased. The NNF, together with the Ministry of Environment and Tourist and other support NGOs, and funded by the Game Products Trust Fund and the Swedish Local Environmental Fund, have set about working with selected communities to reduce this conflict while, at the same time, increase benefits. This involves protecting peoples water installations with rock walls, making sure that water pipes are sufficiently deeply buried while at the same time providing alternative, low-maintenance solar pumped water for elephants and other wildlife in appropriate places away from human settlement. In this way, the costs of wildlife to people are kept to a minimum, while the benefits are optimised.
People then have real incentives to live with, and look after, their wildlife.
So, to return to the first question posed in my opening paragraph, I would say Yes , we are making a real difference a major difference. However, we nor any other organisation, is doing it on their own. We are doing it as a team. The team includes all who work with us at the implementation level as well as those that provide financial resources. To them all I say thank you you are making a real difference to rural development and conservation the two go hand in hand.