Wildlife and wildlife management in Tanzania

Tanzania, arguably mainland Africa's most important nation for conservation, is losing habitat and natural resources rapidly. Moving away from a charcoal energy base and developing sustainable finance mechanisms for natural forests are critical to slowing persistent deforestation. Addressing governance and capacity deficits, including law enforcement, technical skills, and funding, across parts of the wildlife sector are key to effective wildlife protection. These changes could occur in tandem with bringing new models of natural resource management into play that include capacity building, corporate payment for ecosystem services, empowering nongovernmental organizations in law enforcement, greater private‐sector involvement, and novel community conservation strategies. The future of Tanzania's wildlife looks uncertain—as epitomized by the current elephant crisis—unless the country confronts issues of governance, embraces innovation, and fosters greater collaboration with the international community.     

The Conflict between Wildlife and Local People Living Adjacent to Protected Areas in Tanzania: Human Density as a Predictor

A questionnaire survey was conducted in Tanzania of 1396 local people living adjacent to Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and Mikumi National Parks and the Selous Game Reserve. Over 71% of local people surveyed reported problems with wildlife. The relative frequency of reported conflict with wildlife was significantly and inversely related to human density on lands adjacent to a protected area. Of those local people who reported having problems with wildlife, 86% reported crop damage, while 10% reported the killing of livestock and poultry. The problematic wildlife species also varied significantly with human density. Large animals were more problematic at low human densities, while small animals were more problematic at high human densities. Local people were generally less effective in controlling small-bodied species than large-bodied species. The relative frequency of reported success in controlling wildlife varied significantly with human density and was bimodal: local people were less effective in controlling wildlife at lower and higher human densities. This bimodal relationship suggests that, even if all protected areas in Tanzania were abolished, local people would continue to experience problems with wildlife at high human densities. To minimize the conflict between wildlife and local people, land uses associated with low human density that are non-attractive to wildlife should be encouraged on lands adjacent to protected areas in Tanzania.     

Levels of community participation and satisfaction with decentralized wildlife management in Idodi-Pawaga Wildlife Management Area,Tanzania

Participatory approaches to conservation are viewed as a plausible alternative to the old ‘fortress conservation’ approach. The design and implementation of these approaches in developing countries have tended to embrace community participation through decentralized governance mechanisms in the past three decades. However, sustainable conservation approaches that maintain community livelihoods while conserving biodiversity are challenged with meeting both objectives. In addressing this challenge, little attention has been given to an empirical analysis of community’s satisfaction levels on how they participated in the design and implementation of this approach. In this article, we use a mixed method approach using both quantitative and qualitative data to examine levels of satisfaction and participation of local communities in the Idodi-Pawaga Wildlife Management Area (WMA), south-western Tanzania. We find that social economic factors (e.g. age, household size, gender, number of years living in the same location and participation/non-participation) influence, in different ways, the satisfaction levels of community’s participation towards the WMA creation. Due to inadequate participation, we find that the WMA design and implementation process failed from the beginning to actively involve the local communities and this has resulted in the near absence of the promised economic benefits from wildlife conservation. We suggest that participation should go beyond the simple information sharing to actively engage the local communities in key planning activities from the beginning of any WMA programme. It is also important to take into consideration their levels of satisfaction with the process of decision-making if meaningful decentralized governance is to be achieved.     

Economics: Theory versus Practice in Wildlife Management

One of the most controversial issues in wildlife management in North America is the trend towards the commercialization of wildlife. The sale of hunting privileges and game ranching are forms of wildlife commercialization that have not been unanimously accepted, and widely opposing views exist on the merits and drawbacks of the use of economic incentives for the management of wild animals. In this essay the use of economics is explored from a theoretical "free market" perspective and from a more practical point of view. The issue of market failure is addressed and potential solutions are offered, such as tax incentives and government farm programs. Also the question of when market-oriented solutions are applicable to wildlife is discussed. We conclude that polarization of the issue is counterproductive and that some of the more innovative solutions to current wildlife management problems can be found between the opposite extremes of public ownership and the profit-motivated incentives offered by the market.     

The Capacity of the National Wildlife Refuge System to Conserve Threatened and Endangered Animal Species in the United States

Abstract:  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the 38-million-ha National Wildlife Refuge System, which is devoted primarily to wildlife conservation. I examined the capacity of the refuge system to conserve federally listed threatened and endangered animal species. Population viability data for a random sample of these species were analyzed and extrapolated. Three levels of population viability were distinguished: outbreeding, demographic, and evolutionary. One hundred eighty-six of the 514 federally listed animal species reside in whole or in part on the refuge system. Of these 186 species, approximately 81, 101, and 107 are supported by the system at evolutionary, demographic, and outbreeding viability levels, respectively. These figures correspond to 16%, 19%, and 21% of the 514 federally listed animal species, respectively. Various federal policies and programs facilitate the expansion of the refuge system, but other federal policies and programs facilitate economic growth, which tends to require the conversion of habitats faster than it provides for habitat conservation. Therefore the long-run effectiveness, extent, and endurance of the refuge system will depend largely on macroeconomic policy context.     

Wildlife and coal development: An overview

This paper briefly reviews the changes which have occurred in the past three hundred years in the public's attitudes toward our Nation's natural resources, particularly the wildlife resources. It discusses how these changing attitudes have contributed to today's surface coal mine reclamation laws which require that the disturbed land be restored to a level of productivity equal to or greater than that which occurred before mining. This paper stresses the need to manage each reclamation site on an ecosystem basis, recognizing the interrelationships of all the resource components. This paper emphasizes both the fundamental importance of the holistic approach to mine site reclamation and the responsibility that the wildlife biologist has to see to it that wildlife habitat considerations are incorporated into each phase of the reclamation plan. Brief management considerations are given to three unique reclamation habitat types; riparian, agriculture and forest.     

西部地区环境政策与环境管理能力建设刍议

为促进西部大开发战略的实施和西部地区可持续发展 ,就西部地区环境政策框架和环境管理能力建设两方面进行了初步研究 ,提出了一些建议     

The Role of Research in Evaluating Conservation Strategies in Tanzania: the Case of the Katavi-Rukwa Ecosystem

Abstract:  Strict protectionism, resource extraction, protected-area community outreach, ecotourism, an integrated conservation and development program, comanagement schemes, and citizen-science initiatives are all being used to help conserve the remote Katavi-Rukwa ecosystem in western Tanzania. Biological and social research show that protectionism is successful in the conservation of large mammals but fails to capture diverse species communities; extractivism is appropriate for some resources but not for others; protected-area outreach can be effective for some communities; and devolved control over wildlife, in conjunction with ecotourism and citizen science, has considerable potential in the area. The long-term nature of the research provides the necessary time frame to evaluate outcomes of different conservation strategies, uncovers dynamics within communities that affect attitudes and responses to conservation initiatives, provides impartial recommendations because changing research personnel offers different viewpoints, and, probably most importantly, enhances trust among stakeholders. Currently, there are limited institutional mechanisms for ensuring the input of biological and social science in shaping conservation practice in Tanzania, and long-term research can help informally bridge the gap     

Wildlife Connectivity Approaches and Best Practices in U.S. State Wildlife Action Plans

As habitat loss and fragmentation threaten biodiversity on large geographic scales, creating and maintaining connectivity of wildlife populations is an increasingly common conservation objective. To assess the progress and success of large‐scale connectivity planning, conservation researchers need a set of plans that cover large geographic areas and can be analyzed as a single data set. The state wildlife action plans (SWAPs) fulfill these requirements. We examined 50 SWAPs to determine the extent to which wildlife connectivity planning, via linkages, is emphasized nationally. We defined linkage as connective land that enables wildlife movement. For our content analysis, we identified and quantified 6 keywords and 7 content criteria that ranged in specificity and were related to linkages for wide‐ranging terrestrial vertebrates and examined relations between content criteria and statewide data on focal wide‐ranging species, spending, revenue, and conserved land. Our results reflect nationwide disparities in linkage conservation priorities and highlight the continued need for wildlife linkage planning. Only 30% or less of the 50 SWAPs fulfilled highly specific content criteria (e.g., identifying geographic areas for linkage placement or management). We found positive correlations between our content criteria and statewide data on percent conserved land, total focal species, and spending on parks and recreation. We supplemented our content analysis with interviews with 17 conservation professionals to gain specific information about state‐specific context and future directions of linkage conservation. Based on our results, relevant literature, and interview responses, we suggest the following best practices for wildlife linkage conservation plans: collect ecologically meaningful background data; be specific; establish community‐wide partnerships; and incorporate sociopolitical and socioeconomic information. Acercamientos a la Conectividad de Vida Silvestre y las Mejores Prácticas en los Planes de Acción de Vida Silvestre Estatales en los Estados Unidos     

Changes in Wildlife Communities Near Edges

Abstract: Wildlife managers and land managers have traditionally considered edges as beneficial to wildlife because species diversity generally increases near habitat edges. Explanations for this edge effect include greater vegetative complexity at edges or the simultaneous availability of more than one landscape element. However, edges can have negative consequences for wildlife by modifying distribution and dispersal and by increasing incidence of nest predation and parasitism Edges also may be detrimental to species requiring large undisturbed areas because increases in edge generally result in concommitant reductions in size and possible isolation of patches and corridots. Thus, both wildlife and land managers should be cautious when describing the benefits of edges to wildlife: particularly when dealing with species that require forest interiors.
Changes in wildlife communities associated with habitat edges are not easily assessed because defining edge species and measuring edge dimensions can be difficult in field studies Also, there is no general consensus as to how edge effect is best measured. Well-designed long-term studies of edges in various landscapes are needed (1) to better understand the positive and negative impacts of edges on wildlife communities, guilds, or key species, and (2) to effectively quantify edge effect and thereby develop management recommendations to improve the quality of edges for wildlife. Additional studies of edge effect are timely because greater amounts of edge will continue to be created in future landscapes due to extensive agriculture and other land-use-practices, and because developing knowledge in conservation biology and landscape ecology will facilitate multidisciplinary approaches to edge and landscape management for the benefit of wildlife.     

Trophy Hunting and Wildlife Conservation in Zambia

For wildlife conservation to succeed in developing countries, people who live in or near protected areas must receive benefits that offset the costs of their reduced access to natural resources. International trophy hunting is currently generating significant economic benefits for residents of game management areas in Zambia. This has been made possible through a revolving fund and an administrative program that direct revenues from trophy hunting to local wildlife management and community development projects. Benefits might be enhanced by better biological information for management, greater local participation in the allocation and operation of hunting concessions, and the promotion of ecological and ethical standards for trophy hunting. An international system of certification for trophy hunting operations could foster these improvements.     

转基因生物风险评估和管理的国家能力建设的探讨

转基因生物风险评估和管理的国家能力建设的内容,包括机构、机制、专家知识、环境监测以及信息收集和交流等。风险评估和管理的能力建设必须根据本国生物技术研究和应用水平、资金、信息以及人员数量和素质来确定其优先领域、行动和项目。目前,中国转基因生物风险评估和管理的国家能力建设工作亟待开展的有:成立国家生物安全委员会;建立转基因生物风险评估和管理的制度以及公众参与的机制;提高技术人员和管理者在生态学、遗传学和风险评估方法学等方面的专家技能;制定转基因生物的环境监测规划;建立有关转基因生物的环境监测网络和基地;新建一批生物安全数据库和信息库     

Modelling habitat conversion in miombo woodlands: insights from Tanzania

Understanding the drivers of natural habitat conversion is a major challenge, yet predicting where future losses may occur is crucial to preventing them. Here, we used Bayesian analysis to model spatio-temporal patterns of land-use/cover change in two protected areas designations and unclassified land in Tanzania using time-series satellite images. We further investigated the costs and benefits of preserving fragmenting habitat joining the two ecosystems over the next two decades. We reveal that habitat conversion is driven by human population, existing land-use systems and the road network. We also reveal the probability of habitat conversion to be higher in the least protected area category. Preservation of habitat linking the two ecosystems saving 1640 ha of land from conversion could store between 21,320 and 49,200 t of carbon in the next 20 years, with the potential for generating between US$ 85,280 and 131,200 assuming a REDD+ project is implemented.