The Selous-Niassa Wildlife Corridor

Wildlife Division Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit GTZ Wildlife Programme in Tanzania Dar Es Salaam 2003In the debate on biodiversity conservation two topics have gained prominence in recent years. One is connecting important protected areas by „corridors“ in order to safeguard the vital genetic flow and exchange with the aim to avoid „conservation islands“. The other topic is transboundary partnerships in conservation. This paper describes how a number of governmental and nongovernmental actors under the leadership of the Tanzanian Wildlife Division have worked towards the creation of „Wildlife Management Areas“ on village land in Southern Tanzania, which would serve as a string of protected areas to form a corridor connecting two elephant ranges of high importance, the Selous Game Reserve and ecosystem and the Niassa Game Reserve in Mozambique