The Effects of a Century of Policy and Legal Change on Wildlife Conservation and Utilisation in Tanzania

Abstract

This chapter examines the history of the past century and current practice of conservation in Tanzania. In pre-colonial times, conservation was achieved through culture and traditions, and without any written decrees or formal institutional framework. German and British colonialists successively began the process of reserving protected areas and of promulgating legislation that instituted central control over wildlife resources. The process of reserving protected areas continued after Independence, and these efforts were helped considerably by other national policies such as villagisation that drew people into more centralised settlements. Tanzania now has one of the most extensive protected area networks in Africa, and some unrivalled wildlife resources. However, it also has a very complex sector with several wildlife authorities managing different categories of protected area and different types of wildlife utilisation.Game viewing is an important economic use of protected areas, primarily national parks, in the north. Hunting by tourists is an important economic use of game reserves and other areas across the country. These forms of wildlife use bring fees to wildlife authorities and central government and greatly benefit the private sector. They also provide direct benefit to local communities from land on which they coexist with the wildlife that is being utilised. Hunting by residents is an important activity for urban Tanzanians but provides little revenue to central government and no benefit to local communities. Trade in live animals and use of products from animals killed on control provide some legal benefits to local communities. However, most local communities now use wildlife illegally or convert land to other uses. Therefore, the Tanzanian government requested advice on policy formulation in the early 1990s. The policies recommended include retaining the unsettled, protected areas as the core of conservation activity, instituting a programme of community- based conservation where humans and wildlife co-exist, and rationalising the institutions involved in the wildlife sector.