Lake Natron becomes Wildlife
Management Area

By Valentine Marc Nkwame
The Arusha Times
July 25, 2009

The Legendary Lake Natron is now one of the Wildlife Management Areas. Natural resources and Tourism Ministry is granting local communities residing around the lake, total authority to control its entire zone.

Minister Shamsa Mwangunga stated here that the residents would now be in position to enter into contracts with tour companies, hunting firms and photo tourists interested to operate in the area and earn revenues from such ventures.

The new community-based, wildlife management area, covering the shores of the vast, saline lake will be under the control of 23 surrounding villages that are being granted total authority of the eco-system by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.

Because of its unique biodiversity, Tanzania had named the Lake Natron Basin to the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

Lake Natron, shared by both Longido and Ngorongoro districts and located some 120 kilometers North-West of Arusha town, is Africa’s only breeding bed for the 2.5 million rare and endangered Lesser Flamingoes that live within the valley.

The wide water body also lies at the foot of Mount Oldonyo L’engai, Tanzania’s third highest peak and East Africa’s only remaining active volcano. The area has for years remained untapped tourism-potential vicinity.

The shallow lake is the only breeding area for the 2.5 million endangered Lesser Flamingoes that live in the valley. Bushes surrounding it are home to some species of wildlife such as zebras, buffaloes and gazelles.

Lake Natron becomes the eighth WMA in the country, a status provided under the Wildlife Conservation Act No. 12 of 1974 and the Wildlife Management Areas Regulatory Act 16 (2) of 2002.

Tourism Minister, Mrs. Shamsa Mwangunga explained that through the acts the government is determined to grant total control of natural resources such as forest reserves and animal corridors to local communities on condition that the surrounding villages unite and establish official Wildlife Management Areas to take care of such resources while at the same time benefiting from them.

“There has been misguided notions that the government values wildlife than people, but actually it is the other way round, the state is now placing wildlife and other natural resources under local communities for the people to benefit from them directly,” said Minister Mwangunga during her tour of Arusha this week.

The Minister, who also toured another WMA established in 2007 by eight villages of the Enduimet location of West-Kilimanjaro, pointed out that villages with established Wildlife Management Areas can enter into contracts with tour companies, Hotel investors, Safari establishments or hunting firms and earn direct revenues from such activities.

“Villages with WMA are now rich, having built schools, dispensaries and own major properties,” she pointed out.

Is there a map of what this new area will consist of. i haven't been to Tanzania yet but it's always exciting when new hunting areas open.

It's not really a new hunting area. TGTS has had it for sometime. I hunted on the shore of Natron in '03 for tommies and white bearded wildebeest.

Mark

I believe TAWCO has it as well.

Brett