Wondering How a Well Reduces Poaching?

My friend, Kelly, recently asked me how a well for children will reduce poaching. I thought it was a great question and wanted to share my answer with you.

There are two ways a well will reduce poaching and hunting of endangered wildlife.

One, by reducing human/animal conflict over shared water sources and two, by freeing up children's time and allowing them to attend school so they can become educated about conservation issues.

Because both animals and humans are fighting for the same water source and because we can't reason with the elephants and other animals, we are going to start by creating the well/clean water source for the humans. This will leave the other water source for the animals for starters. Once the well is finished, we can get a permit from the nearby national park to tap into the well and create an off-shoot pipe that will allow us to direct water a few kilometers away where we can create a fresh waterhole for the elephants and other wildlife.

Many tribes put up "scarecrows" around a water source in an attempt to scare animals away from the water. Some animals, especially elephants get frustrated and very angry when they can't do what they want to do...especially when it comes to finding water. Sometimes they retaliate by running through villages to find water, knocking down huts, and destroying crops...thus antagonizing the humans even more, which is when the humans hunt down and kill the animals.

Gathering water is often the responsibility of the children, who have to walk several miles every day just to gather water - whether it's clean or not - leaving little to no time to attend school. By building the school next to this well, we will create a convenient and efficient way for the children to gather water for their families while also having time to attend school. The Living School will be a secondary school with a focus on wildlife and environmental conservation, where children will learn about human/animal conflict, habitat destruction, and the effects of poaching.

Thanks for your question, Kelly!