Link to Atlas Project

Documents

Overview

The project was designed to increase the effectiveness of the National Parks in protecting biodiversity and provide for the long-term ecological, social and financial sustainability of that system. The focus was on the new and developing Southern Circuit of Tanzania’s National Parks, reflecting the fact that with some exceptions, the management effectiveness of NPs in this region remained sub-optimal, relative to the Government’s desired levels and tourism numbers remained low. The project aims to increase the effectiveness of the National Parks in protecting biodiversity and provide for the long-term ecological, social and financial sustainability of that system that are able to reduce anthropogenic pressures on the sites and secure biodiversity status within them. The project has been designed to address PA management barriers of (a) a lack of proper connectivity between isolated PAs, for larger mammal movements and to buffer against climate change impacts and (b) lack of management capacity and financial planning to bring people to the area and to prevent the various threats to the area through two complementary components namely:

1. Integrating Management of NPs and Broader Landscapes: This first component entailed the creation of active and functioning inter-sectoral District land management coordination mechanism between TANAPA, district authorities and the Wildlife Division (WD) and involved planning, implementation, and monitoring by key state and civil society partners on biodiversity management measures for the Greater Ruaha Landscape (37,000km2) and Greater Kitulo-Kipengere Landscape (2,150k m2).  This approach would secure PAs, wildlife corridors and dispersal areas.

Strengthening NP Operations: This second component will engineer the delivery of an integrated package of PA management functions., The project will initiate financial and business planning on both landscape and individual PAs and will provide funding for basic infrastructure and field equipment across the Southern Circuit Sites