Gray countries with texture denote areas of future engagement.
Congo
Wildlife knows no boundaries. So AWF has defined areas across the continent that are critical to conservation. These Priority Landscapes can cover public and private lands alike and often cross borders.
Engaging communities so that wildlife can wander
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Maasai Steppe
Quick Facts:
Area
2,224,410 hectares (8,588 sq. mi.)
Key Landmarks
- Tarangire National Park
- Lake Manyara National Park
- Simanjiro Plains
Overview
Baobab and acacia trees dot the savanna, and elephants and predators roam in the Maasai Steppe Heartland, which is home to Tanzania’s Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks. Habitat fragmentation is the biggest threat to wildlife in this Heartland, and AWF is working with local communities to keep wild land open for animals in ways that still meet human needs.
Tags: East Africa, Tanzania
Challenges
Wildlife and cattle are not always compatible.
The Maasai Steppe Heartland’s celebrated elephants, wildebeest, zebras, buffalo, giraffes, and Thompson’s gazelles cover vast areas of land to find food and water in different locations during different seasons. But, the wildlife corridor they use between Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks also hosts human communities. To earn income, people use this land and its resources for cattle grazing, farming, and charcoal burning—activities that degrade the land, block the animals’ paths, and put communities at risk for conflict with wildlife.
Solutions
Our solutions to the challenges in the Maasai Steppe Heartland:
Reduce competition to raise profits.
With funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), African Wildlife Foundation launched the Livestock for Livelihoods Program to protect the wildlife corridor that connects Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks. Livestock herders trained to use sustainable practices earn higher incomes because the price per head of their cattle has doubled. By allowing them to support themselves and their families by raising smaller herds, the program helps them avoid land competition with wildlife.
Allow women to weave the way forward.
To help local women benefit from wildlife tourism, AWF partnered with USAID to provide a banda for the Mshikamano Mwada Women’s Group. This small shop and office allows the group’s 30 members to sell their handwoven baskets and mats directly to tourists. AWF also provided trainings in marketing, design, and quality control to ensure the shop’s success. With income from woven products, the women don’t have to depend on unsustainable resource use for their livelihoods.
Provide education for conservation.
AWF upgraded a primary school for students living on and around Manyara Ranch Conservancy, a 44,000-acre conservation area in the Maasai Steppe Heartland. AWF constructed the new and improved Manyara Ranch Primary School in a different location—away from the wildlife corridor that used to bring animals into the schoolyard. In exchange, local communities have agreed to conserve land and wildlife in the area.
Projects
Explore some of our related projects.
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Manyara Ranch IT Lab
Connecting local communities to the World Wide WebInformation accessibility is low in rural communities.
Though computers may be a part of everyday life for many students in Western countries, computers—and the...
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Manyara Ranch Primary School
Rebuilding educational facilities in TanzaniaThe Maasai School was dangerously dilapidated.
The school formerly located on Manyara Ranch was dilapidated, having seen no physical maintenance or repair in more than...
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Esilalei Women’s Cultural Boma
Empowering women while encouraging conservationPoverty and conservation both are issues in Tanzania.
Tanzania, like many parts of Africa, still struggles with poverty and issues of economic empowerment. Women often...
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Kolo Hills REDD+
Food security in the face of climate change in Central TanzaniaDrastic measures must be taken to mitigate climate change in Africa.
In Africa, achieving long-term conservation requires the often-competing demands of wildlife...
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Maasai Steppe Predator-Proof Bomas
Ending human-carnivore conflict in TanzaniaLions face violence from local pastoralists.
Lion populations across Africa face many threats to their continued existence. Habitat loss, disease, and violence all...
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