Human-wildlife conflict and its consequences in Tanzania: advocating the use of One Health approach as a mitigation measure

Globally, human, livestock, and wildlife interactions have been reported to result in innumerable forms of conflict and consequences. The most notable consequences are on the environment and human health, among others. The least developed countries, Tanzania inclusive, due to their bio-geographical and social characteristics, are mostly reported to register such consequences, which have sometimes led to zoonotic diseases due to the existence of risk factors. The factors include the growth of the human population, absence of infrastructural capacity, and skilled manpower to effectively deal with disease outbreaks and livestock keeping associated lifestyles. This article employs a documentary research method to analyse the human-wildlife conflict (HWC) and its consequences in Tanzania. It further assesses the potential of the One Health approach to curb the consequences of HWC following the introduction of One Health Strategic Plan (2015–2020). This article, therefore, analyses the potential for One Health approach to minimize the undesirable impacts of human, livestock, and wildlife interactions on health. This approach underscores the need for collaborative working efforts involving human, livestock, wildlife, and environmental health professionals and the need for a good understanding of the consequences of the interactions towards the realisation of optimum health for people, animals, and our environment.