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Tanzania: 17 New Wildlife Areas Establishment in Offing

By Marc Nkwame


Arusha — Establishment of 17 new Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) is in the offing, according to Natural Resources and Tourism Minister, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu.

He told a two-day forum for government, WMAs, tour operators and conservationists here that the government is collaborating with local communities surrounding national parks and game reserves across the country to establish the new wildlife management areas.

The meeting which involves a workshop and dialogue, is aimed at making the involved parties reach a common stand in matters related to wildlife conservation, tourism in National Parks and game hunting and on how the communities can benefit from the activities.

"So far the country has 21 fully registered Wildlife Management Areas dotting the nation and covering over 36,238 square kilometres of land," stated Mr Nyalandu, adding that the addition of the new WMAs will make the total number of such community based conservation entities to reach 38.

The minister also revealed the plans to establish an autonomous, Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TWA) to be shaped from the current Wildlife Department under his ministry to be in the final process.

The authority will be placed in charge of 120,000 square kilometres of conserved area, which is going to be the largest in the world so far.

"I appeal to the private sector involved in tourism industry, precisely the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), to work closely under mutual agreements with local WMAs so as to ensure that the communities directly benefit from conservation and tourism efforts," added Mr Nyalandu.

Tanzania Association of Tour Operators Chairman Willbard Chambulo, who also owns a number of hotels, lodges and tour firms, said for quite some time now they have been trying to convince the state to let the earnings from tourism activities go directly to the WMAs instead of the current arrangement in which all revenues get remitted to the government before the treasury sends back to the communities, their dues.

If they would just take care of what they have...it would be helpful!

Silly politics is in action, as usual.

I understand many of the lease holders have not paid their annual dues yet!!

Anyone would like to guess who these are??

Looks like the Parks are over-crowded and these 17 new areas have been charted to offer opportunities to operators of photographic tours (TATO) to the late comers and have nothing to do with hunting outfitters (TAHOA)

There are at least 20+ hunting blocks up for grabs with no takers since the original greedy owners found their mouths to be larger than their stomachs.

Most if not all WMA's have both hunting and photo zones. Recently 28 blocks were advertised for allocation. Many more remain unpaid for this year. Fujo got the reason for that right.

Is it the original greedy owners or the government's conception of indigenization that is the culprit here? Had to take the blocks away from the "greedy foreigners" and give to the "deserving locals" regardless of business plan/marketing, etc.?

I would welcome more hunting blocks. I would also welcome a more reasonable pricing level on Tanzanian hunting, which this may be the sign of what is coming; while I "pay to play" there, as I feel my life is short, and I will/can do what I want to, I recognize that as a whole if you price the hunt at what a person can buy a house for, you are radically limiting the number of purchasers in your market pool... and thus the total number of dollars in.

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I would welcome more hunting blocks. I would also welcome a more reasonable pricing level on Tanzanian hunting, which this may be the sign of what is coming

Why increase the blocks when according to BM there are at least 28 that have been returned and no takers? - I don't see the logic in that.

Reasonable pricing directed at whom - outfitters or government?

More land set aside for wildlife is a good thing, yes?
This is a step in the right direction. Shouldn't we be applauding governments for doing this instead of breaking it down into little pieces so we can argue about it?

Set me straight if I have it all wrong...

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More land set aside for wildlife is a good thing, yes?

If this land "set aside for wildlife" is not properly managed it simply turns into a poacher's paradise.
Just how can the government be applauded when it is unable to check the current country-wide rampant poaching?

I have just received reports from the Selous that poaching is continuing unabated and has spiraled out of control.
Just goes to show how much effort the authorities are putting or have not in controlling the situation.

So don't set aside the land and the animals won't be poached..got it. If you want to bash the government for not protecting animals from poachers or a million other reasons I can get on board. But when they set aside more land for wildlife the argument shouldn't be that it wasn't a good thing to do..the argument should be fixing the other problems.

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Originally posted by fujotupu:

quote:

More land set aside for wildlife is a good thing, yes?

If this land "set aside for wildlife" is not properly managed it simply turns into a poacher's paradise.
Just how can the government be applauded when it is unable to check the current country-wide rampant poaching?

I have just received reports from the Selous that poaching is continuing unabated and has spiraled out of control.
Just goes to show how much effort the authorities are putting or have not in controlling the situation.

Exactly what I meant in my post above.

A lot of WMA's are replacing former Open Area and Game COntrolled Area blocks.

A good number of Open Area/GCA blocks are obsolete and may as well be degazetted due to encroachment by human settlement.

Mich,

While it suits me fine for them to designate new WMA's...do you believe for a second that it is going to make one iota of difference to wildlife? Elephant???

Lane,

any new area with wildlife that get's gazetted into law as a protected area is a good thing IMHO. While it may not do anything for wildlife in the immediate term due to lack of resources and knowhow of the protecting authorities, it is a critical legal platform from where conservation work has a chance to eventually commence from.

Sadly, some of these legally gazetted wildlife pa's have been abandoned too long and now have zero chance of natural recovery from a wildlife point of view - they would require massive re-stocking.

Mich,
That speaks exactly to my point. If the TZ gvt wants to help wildlife...just start helping it...don't make some public show.

Stopping ele poaching and shipment of illegal ivory out of TZ would be a good start. Along with maybe giving Craig Packer back his research clearance.

Bottom line...it's all about the Golden Rule...he who has the gold...makes the rules. I learned that lesson well with my time working on the lion issue.