Tanzania mulls setting up Africa`s largest recreational area

2008-05-21 09:05:24
By Beatrice Philemon, Arusha


The government has announced plans to create what it envisages to become the largest national park in Africa by merging Ruaha National Park with Usangu Game Reserve in central Tanzania Currently, Ruaha National Park in central Tanzania measures 10,300 sq. kms.

Once merged with Usangu, its size would add to over 15,000 sq. kms.

Gerald Bigurube, Director General at the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) said at the on-going 33rd Africa Travel Association (ATA) Annual Congress that the move would ultimately make Ruaha the largest national park in Africa.

He said that one of the aims the government was determined to annex Usangu to Ruaha is to save biodiversity of that area as well as to increase tourism to the region and this can best be accomplished if the areas are administered and marketed by TANAPA as unified product.

According to him, Ruaha is also home to over 450 bird�s species and the Usangu Game Reserve includes the Ihefu wetland, the natural water reservoir for the Great Ruaha River.

He said adding that Tanzania is constantly working on upgrading its game reserve to national park status where there is no consumptive use of resources and this allows for the multiplicity of species, increasing the wildlife in the parks.

Elaborating Ruaha National Park he said that, Ruaha that boasts 10,000 elephants, the largest population of any East African national park, protect a vast tract of the rugged semi-arid bush country that characterizes central Tanzania and its lifeblood is the Great Ruaha River which courses along the Eastern boundary of the park.

Also a fine network of game-viewing roads follows the Great Ruaha and its seasonal tributaries where during the dry season, impala, waterbuck and other antelopes risk their life for a sip of life sustaining water.

Furthermore the risk is considerable with prides of 20 plus lions lording over the Savannah, the cheetahs that stalk the open grassland and the leopards that lurk in tangled riverside thickets.

Tanzania is the largest country in East Africa well-known for wildlife conservation and sustainable tourism with approximately 28 percent of the land protected by the government.

In total, Tanzania boosts of 15 national parks and 33 game reserves and it is the home of the tallest mountain in Africa, the legendary Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the Serengeti.

For this measure, country has greatest percentage of protected land and close to 30 percent of land is dedicated to the preservation of wildlife, flora and fauna.

As part of the Southern Tourism Circuit, the merger is expected would boost the industry which is now the leading foreign exchange earner to Tanzania. It accounts for 17.2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and has employed 250,000.

Ongoing promotion efforts in Europe, USA and Canada aim to increase the number of tourists coming to Tanzania reach one million, up from the current 719,013 annual arrivals.

SOURCE: Guardian

I gather this signals the end of Usangu Safaris and all of their troubles over the last couple of seasons. Any one know?

I reported this last October upon my return from the area. They are definitely not legally hunting that area in 2008.

We caught Mr Mulla poaching in our area last year. Who knows what else he might do illegally.

Maybe some animals will return to the concession now part of the national park.. Their scorched earth policy on game was a result of knowing there days there were numbered...

Mike

I can tell you that I was in an area that bordered both the park and Usangu. It supposedly had never been hunted before. The animals were spooky. Really wild.

We caught Zahir Mulla at least 2 miles inside our concession poaching.

Do the math.

At least the Topi will have break......

They have been given 2 new blocks to replace the 2 from the Usangu GR. Both are Open Areas next to Ugalla GR in Western Tanzania.