Context:

Despite their socio-economic importance, rangelands resources across the ECWMA have in recent years been significantly altered by environmental degradation and climate change. On one side, this adversely affects rangelands, leading to loss and poor health of livestock and intensification of human-wildlife conflicts in the area. On the other side, lack of a holistic management plan for the ECWMAs? rangelands have led to significant impacts on the livelihood options of the people living adjacent the ECWMA. This transboundary area is bordered by Kilimanjaro National Park to the South-east, Tanzania-Kenya political boundary to the North and Arusha National Park to the West. The Kitenden wildife corridor connects Amboseli (of Kenya), a UNESCO?s Man and Biosphere Reserve and Mount Kilimanjaro national parks (of Tanzania), a World Heritage Site is within the ECWMA. On the other side, this area provides both wet and dry season conduit for wildlife survival. It harbors over 20 large mammal species, including the endangered Elephants, Giraffes and Lions. The area also serves as a wildlife dispersal area for the animals from these two larger protected areas (Amboseli and Kilimanjaro National Parks). The ECWMA practices a multiple land use strategy by allowing its community members to use the buffer zones of the conservation area for grazing, especially during the drought seasons. The ECWMA it therefore plays an integral role in both wildlife conservation and community development especially in livestock production. It has 3 well established and operating livestock cooperatives with over 500 members. Majority of communities adjacent this area practices their traditional pastoral ways of lives, as such they require a proper management plan for their rangeland resources. The ECWMA?s efforts to develop a holistic grazing management to guide effective utilization of rangeland resources in the area have been blocked by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic alone had led to significant losses of ECWMA?s income which mainly depend on tourism activities which have now been brought to a standstill, hence the need for this proposal. This proposed project of developing rangeland management will help to entrench the sustainable use of pastures and other grazing resources in ECWMA through enhanced participatory governance and regulatory framework of rangeland resources. Partly, this will enhance rangeland productivity, improve pastoral production systems and strengthen socio-ecological resilience while mitigating against impacts of natural and climate change hazards to livestock-based livelihoods for enhanced and effective management of ECWMA?s rangeland resources, the proposed project will add value and contribute to ongoing management and conservation efforts of this transboundary area.

About the Proponent:

Enduimet Community Wildlife Management Area (ECWMA) or JUMUIYA YA HIFADHI YA WANYAMAPORI ENDUIMET (in swahili) which covers 752km2 is located in Enduimet Division, within Longido District, in Arusha Region. The ECWMA was established in 2004 under the Tanzania Wildlife Policy of 1998 which encourages participation of rural communities and other stakeholders in taking joint responsibility for and invest in sustainable management of wildlife and other natural resources. Through WMA plans, local people are given user rights of wildlife resources so that they can capture the economic benefits (revenues) from tourist related investments such as tourist hunting and photographic tourism. The ECWMA is formed by 11 villages and is dominated by the pastoral Maasai communities (over 35,000). These communities depend on livestock (60%), farming (10%), combination of livestock and farming (20%) and tourism (10%) for their livelihoods.

Project?s Primary Objective:

To establish long term and sustainable rangelands management plan and bylaws and four demo pasture farms to improve grazing practices in Enduimet Community Wildlife Management Area by May 2022.