Wildlife Management Areas in Tanzania: Vulnerability and Survival Amidst COVID-19

Rehema Abeli Shoo,Neema Robert Kinabo,Gladys Joseph Lendii,Julius Modest Kimaro,Elizabeth Kamili Mtui,Jafari R Kideghesho

doi:10.5772/intechopen.97396

Abstract

The establishment of Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) has been adopted as intervention to safeguard the wildlife and their habitats outside the core protected areas in Tanzania. Along with their conservation role, WMAs provide an opportunity for local communities to derive economic benefits from wildlife-based enterprises on their land. WMAs primarily rely on revenues generated from photographic and hunting tourism to support operational activities and create incentives for the local communities to conserve wildlife resources. The current global travel restrictions and lockdown caused by an outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic have reduced a vital funding source for WMAs. This, therefore, undermines the ability to manage the wildlife resources and reward communities for the opportunity cost of their land and other costs associated with coexisting with wildlife. This chapter examines the extent to which the decline of tourism revenues as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has affected WMAs as a framework for local communities to manage and benefit from wildlife. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews on five WMAs in Northern Tanzania that were purposively selected based on their ability to generate a significant amount of revenues from tourism. Findings show that the decline of tourism revenues triggers unprecedented adverse effects on the conservation of wildlife resources within WMAs. Livelihood of the local communities is also affected due to loss of employment opportunities and drop-off of tourism income obtained from the sales of local goods to the tourists and tourist hotels. We recommend the creation of local mechanisms for revenue acquisition that are more resilient to global shocks, diversifying revenue-generating options within WMAs, and putting in place the right funding model that would warrant WMAs sustainability.

Highlights

Recognition of the close link between sustainable natural resource management and rural development and a pervasive decline of wildlife due to traditional centralized wildlife management practices prompted the introduction of CommunityBased Wildlife Management (CBWM) in Tanzania [1–3]
The main assumption of CBWM approach is that access of economic benefits from wildlife-related enterprises among the local communities improves their standard of living and, motivate them to support wildlife conservation efforts [5–7]
The study looked at the impact of declined tourism revenues on conservation of wildlife resources, local employment as well as the potential trickle-down livelihoods effects on the families of community members

Summary

Introduction

Recognition of the close link between sustainable natural resource management and rural development and a pervasive decline of wildlife due to traditional centralized wildlife management practices prompted the introduction of CommunityBased Wildlife Management (CBWM) in Tanzania [1–3]. The main assumption of CBWM approach is that access of economic benefits from wildlife-related enterprises among the local communities improves their standard of living and, motivate them to support wildlife conservation efforts [5–7]. The endorsement of Wildlife Policy in 1998 laid out the initial underpinnings of Tanzania’s approach to CBWM through the establishment of WMAs. The concept “represents an important option for wildlife conservation outside the core protected areas and acts as a buffer against human impacts while enhancing rural economic development” [8]. The concept “represents an important option for wildlife conservation outside the core protected areas and acts as a buffer against human impacts while enhancing rural economic development” [8] These communitymanaged areas are established within the village lands, whereby groups of villages set aside land for sustainable wildlife conservation and derive benefits from investment options provided by the land [9]

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