The people and wildlife
living across Tanzania’s northern rangelands will benefit from a new project
aimed at improving livelihoods, ecosystems, governance and economic growth
across the landscape. The project’s vision is an ecologically and economically
thriving landscape that supports both people and wildlife, and is resilient to
future stress from climate change and human population growth.
The project, “Endangered
Ecosystems – Northern Tanzania” (EENT), will be supported by the U.S. government
through the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) over the next five years, and coordinated by The Nature Conservancy
(TNC) and nine implementing partners. This project stems from an
existing collaboration known as the Northern Tanzania Rangeland Initiative
(NTRI).
“People, wildlife,
ecosystems, economies, health care - these are all connected issues, but
they’re often addressed separately,” explains Matt Brown, TNC Africa
Conservation Director. “This initiative is changing this. We believe that by
taking an integrated approach, and bringing together different skills from a
diverse group of people and organizations, we can have a greater impact.”
The EENT project was
officially launched Monday, January 25th, at the Tarangire Safari Lodge
in a ceremony attended by the U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania Mark Childress, the
District Commissioners from Kiteto, Monduli, and Simanjiro, amongst others.
In his remarks
Ambassador Mark Childress highlighted the need for local communities to
experience economic benefits from tourism generated by wildlife
conservation.
Also in attendance were
representatives from each of the nine implementing partner organizations, which
include: Carbon Tanzania, Honeyguide, Maliasili Initiatives, Oikos, Pathfinder International,
Tanzania People & Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Ujamaa Community
Resource Team and Wildlife Conservation Society. Each partner brings a
different unique skillset and experiences to the project, such as social
enterprise development, community-based wildlife monitoring, human-wildlife
conflict mitigation, participatory land use planning, and community health care
to name a few.
“In my experience, most environment conservation
interventions do not include a health component,” explains Dr. Xaverly Benela,
the District Medical Officer from Monduli District. “I am glad that there is
inclusion of this component in the NTRI-EENT program; for instance, access to
family planning can play a vital role for people living around the rangelands like
most places in Monduli.”
Project overview:
Tanzania’s northern rangelands stretch across more than
six million acres and include some of the world’s most significant wildlife
populations and landscapes, such as the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro
Conservation Area. This area contributes significantly to Tanzania’s tourism
industry – the source of more than 13% of the country’s GDP – as well as
supports the livelihoods of the many pastoralist communities living on and
managing the land. Today, the historical balance and co-existence between
wildlife and pastoralists is shifting as population growth, changing social
values and structures, and climate change impacts degrade rangelands and cause
increased pressures through resource scarcity and conflict.
For the northern
rangelands to maintain and increase their ecological and economic values based
on wildlife, tourism and pastoralism, it is critical to address current trends
towards fragmentation and degradation. This project aims to do just that, using
four key strategies to build a more resilient northern Tanzania – where people,
wildlife and ecosystems are healthier; women and youth are empowered; economic
growth is inclusive and sustained; and democratic governance is improved and
effective.
With USAID funding, the
EENT project will target priority areas within the Tarangire/Maasai Steppe
ecosystem, which comprises the key stretch of rangelands connecting Serengeti
to the west with the Amboseli ecosystem to the east.
This geography is consistent with USAID’s priority areas
and the objective of safeguarding the primary routes that wildlife and
livestock traverse between wet and dry season grazing grounds. EENT will be
implemented across three districts – Simanjiro, Monduli, and Kiteto District.
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