Sub-theme #1: Wildlife Conservation Outside Protected Areas

Northern Tanzania’s savannah rangelands contain some of the most spectacular and diverse wildlife populations found anywhere in Africa, and one of the most biologically and economically important natural resources in modern Tanzania. This dual importance is central to the way wildlife in the region is managed and used. The biological importance attracts the involvement of international and national conservation agencies with a mandate to maintain wildlife populations and their habitats in a natural state. The economic importance is apparent at local, regional, and national scales. Wildlife-based tourism provides one of Tanzania’s largest and most rapidly expanding sources of national revenue. At the local level wildlife can provide substantial household income to rural communities, but wildlife can also create negative impacts through losses to crops, livestock, and human life. The ability of wildlife in northern Tanzania to continue providing these values at the landscape level depends to a great deal on the actions and interests of rural communities. Although a large and extensive network of National Parks and other protected areas ha