France, July 8 -- Southern Africa's booming elephant population - now over 230,000 - marks a global conservation success, but it's also fueling rising human-wildlife conflict across the region. Zimbabwe, at the center of this growth, is struggling to balance ecological triumph with community safety and sustainability.

Zimbabwe's elephant population has grown steadily over the past decade, thanks to intensive national and regional conservation strategies. According to Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), the country's elephant count has risen from around 84,000-90,000 in 2014 to over 100,000 today, growing by roughly five per cent per year.

This success is supported by both loc...