Conservation
Long march to success in Tanzanian Udzungwa Park

afrol.com, 22 December - Udzungwa National Park in Tanzania tenyears ago was threatened by encroachment from surrounding human populations. An awareness programme led by the WWF has since managed to engage locals in sustainable management and tourism.

The conservation organization WWF has been working in Tanzania for the past ten years to conserve and establish the country's first terrestrial National Park in Udzungwa. Since that time conservation awareness among the people in surrounding areas has risen considerably and communities are participating in numerous activities including the preparation of the General Management Plan for the Park. 

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Struggling through virgin rainforests and fording the cold waters of the snake-infested rivers are all part of the adventure when trekking in the Udzungwa mountain rain forest. The mountain itself is spectacular. It ascends from 300 metres in the great Ruaha river valley in the north and north east of Tanzania to Luhomero, its highest point at 2,576 metres above sea level. In between, there are rolling hills, dissected plateaux and an undulating upland blanketed by a thick rain forest which colours the area with an ethereal beauty. 

The conservation organization WWF, through its Tanzania Programme Office, has been working in this forest for the past ten years to conserve and establish the country's first terrestrial National Park - Tanzania's first marine park off the south coast of Mafia Island was established in April 1995. 

The park represents the only section of the Eastern Arc mountain range where forest cover is intact from low to high altitudes. It is also the catchment area for the major rivers in southern Tanzania including those supplying the Kidatu hydro-electricity dam. Over 60% of the electricity used in Tanzania is generated by water from this forest.

WWF is also working closely with Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) to develop a community-based conservation scheme to integrate the local communities into Park management.

Zakiya Aloyce, a WWF Programme Officer said that, "since WWF's intervention in 1992, the picture has been altered. An ever increasing number of tourists have found their way into the area, to seek out nature and hopefully, help save it at the same time".

Conservation awareness among the people in surrounding areas has risen considerably. Communities are participating in numerous activities including the preparation of the General Management Plan for the Park. 

"Prior 1992, the Udzungwa was threatened by encroachment from surrounding human populations", says former Head Park Keeper Ami Seki. "Having recognized this threat, the government of Tanzania upgraded the area into a full-fledged national park." 

Udzungwa National Park is now one of the top ten forests for bird conservation in Africa. Key species include the locally endemic udzungwa partridge, and rufous-winged sunbird. Other rare animal species include the iringa red colobus and the sanje crested mangabey both of which are considered endangered.

The second phase of this WWF project was completed in June 2000, with funding from WWF-UK and Department of International Development, UK, and included establishing and developing park infrastructures, and supporting the TANAPA Community Conservation Service. 

WWF has also been conducting a series of awareness campaigns, seminars, study tours, exchange visits, video shows to communities, which have introduced villagers to conservation activities and the possibility to develop various alternative sources of income. These include bee-keeping, manufacturing green charcoal, beef and poultry farming, and brick making by using rice husks - the husks that were once polluting the environment are now becoming a commercial commodity.

Other activities include the collection of seeds and the establishment of a seed bank for the tree nurseries, which are gradually becoming self sufficient through the sale of seedlings. Waste is being recycled and composted for use as manure.

Mary Shuma, WWF Coordinator for Environmental Education, points out that the greening of schools has not only benefited the students but also their parents. Communities have now started to identify business opportunities from ecotourism, an activity that is gaining momentum through the newly formed women and youth groups.

WWF's next focus is to help TANAPA to develop ecotourism infrastructure and conduct both an ecological and water monitoring survey of the area. 

By Sam Kasulwa, WWF

 

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