"The absence of tourists in conservation areas enables poachers to act more freely. In normal times, tourists act as additional 'eyes and ears' in conservation areas, and their presence deters poachers from acting, but the decline in tourism activity emboldened poachers," a UK government report on the impact of Covid-19 on poaching has said. "In Botswana, a spokesperson for the Department of Wildlife and National Parks noted an increase in conflicts due to wild animals (including buffalo, elephants, and lions) straying outside their normal ranges, which was partly attributed to reductions in people’s movements and activities during the lockdown period." The research found that in Namibia, a survey of five conservation areas reported that conservancies were experiencing increases in human-wildlife conflict.