The comprehensive review of human-wildlife conflict compensation rates, which progressed concurrently with the development of the National Human Wildlife Conflict Strategy and Action Plan, has been finalized but is yet to receive cabinet approval.
This was disclosed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Abigail Khumoyame, who indicated that the delay in endorsement stems directly from budgetary constraints.
Appearing before the Standing Committee on Government Assurances recently, Khumoyame stated that the ministry currently lacks the necessary budget to sustain the proposed compensation rates, hence the hesitation to submit a cabinet memorandum to seek collective approval for implementation.
“On an annual basis, we currently pay about P28 million for compensation, which we agree is far too low. Shifting to a 100% market rate would require an estimated P203 million annually, based on the volume of incidents that occur every year. We could not submit the cabinet memo because we wondered where we would secure such funds,” she told the committee.
She indicated that the draft strategy proposes increasing compensation to the actual market rates of lost assets, thereby accurately reflecting the true socio-economic impact on victims.
She added that the strategy also suggests that compensation should no longer be restricted to damages caused by a select group of animals, but instead be extended to cover other species.
Currently, the specific animals covered under this policy—considered dangerous and eligible for compensation in the event of human death or injury—include the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, and crocodile.
Meanwhile, Khumoyame added that the ministry is also yet to establish the dedicated Human Wildlife Conflict Fund, as recommended by the strategy. It is anticipated that once established, the fund will facilitate better compensation rates for wildlife damages and ex-gratia payments.
The permanent secretary revealed that they are still evaluating the administrative frameworks for establishing the scheme, as well as potential funding sources. According to her, the fund will not rely solely on government coffers, noting that they intend to explore innovative alternative financing mechanisms to constantly replenish it.
She assured the committee that the government remains fully committed to increasing the current compensation rates to adequately alleviate the severe effects of human-wildlife conflict.
Currently, the government provides an ex-gratia payment of P70,000 to families of individuals killed by wildlife.
Furthermore, the current framework covers only 35 percent of the market value for livestock losses and crop damages caused by specific predators, including leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, crocodiles, and hippopotamuses. Conversely, incidents involving elephants and lions are compensated at 100 percent of their market value.
Be that as it may, Khumoyame revealed that they currently have outstanding compensation claims for 108 farmers, adding that as of March this year, they managed to disburse P5.9 million for reported incidents.
While the existing compensation policy has provided some relief to affected victims, repeated calls have been made—particularly by residents in wildlife-prone regions—for the government to revise the policy to ensure it correlates with the severity of the damage caused.
“We believe that as we implement the strategy in full, it will help us reduce the incidents of human-wildlife conflict and ensure sustainable coexistence between people and wildlife,” she noted.
