By STAFF REPORTER, Dodoma
THE Government has embarked on process for the implement of the strategic plan to identify, restore and help to protect the wildlife corridors accross the country. Among others, the plan gears to curtail a spate of encroachment of human activities in the historical wildlife corridors, especially for agriculture and livestock grazing purposes.
Last year, the Government through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism tasked the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) to make a special survey over the number and state of the wildlife corridors across the country.
The development surfaced due to increased cases of human- wildlife conflicts in many parts of the country.
The survey managed to record a total of 61 wildlife corridors in the country, whereby at least 20 corridors were considered for major improvement and protection due to their ecological, economical, political as well as tourism potential.
The Permenent Secretaries (PSs) from the secterial ministries have convened in Dodoma Capital City together with other officials from the wildlife releted institutions, including TAWIRI to brainstorm on how professional to translate the formulated strategic plan into reality.
Deputy Secretary General, Office of the Prime Minister (Policy, Parliament and Coordination), Mr. Anderson Mutatembwa
With the focus to reduce wildlife-human conflicts and restore the wildlife corridors, the round table forum was a potential podium to instil a common understanding over the spread and importance of the wildlife corridors in the country.
"Through this session, we have acquired useful common understanding over the wildlife corridors in the country and this will help us to stand a better side when planning and implementing relevant projects in all the secterial ministries," said the Deputy Secretary General, Office of the Prime Minister (Policy, Parliament and Coordination), Mr. Anderson Mutatembwa who chaired the meeting.
For his part, the Chief Wildlife Researcher, from the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), Dr. Hamza Kija said most of the wildlife corridors in the country’s Northern circuit have seriously been affected by human activities.
"Most of the corridors are found far outside the national parks and thus, due to poor awareness over the important of the areas, people from the nearby communities have often been damaging the corridors due to agricultural and animal grazing activities," he observed.
Kija explained that the wildlife corridors are of the paramount important for the welfare of the wildlife animals, but also for the prosperity of the tourism sector, among others.
"For instance in Mvomero District of Morogoro Region some wildlife corridors have completely been destroyed and blocked by human activities, " he detailed.
Permenent Secretaries, and other high- level officers from the secterial ministries and the wildlife releted institutions during a special forum over the mapping and restoration of the country's wildlife corridors. The meeting was held in the Dodoma Capital City.
Ms. Fortunata Msoffe, the Acting Director, Wildlife Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, on her part said the strategy being worked out meant to have the wildlife corridors restored to the nature of their original.
"The target is to also to raise awareness towards the communities in adjacent to the corridors over the potential of the historical wildlife path," she said.
As part of implementation of the strategic plan, Msoffe unveiled that the vision is also to mark all of the wildlife corridors for protection.
The recent passage of Tanzania’s Wildlife Conservation (Wildlife Corridors, Dispersal Areas, Buffer Zones and Migratory Rule ( Regulations 2018), aka ''The Corridor Regulations' exemplifies the commitment of the Tanzanian Government to maintain and restore critical wildlife corridors to sustain the incredible biodiversity for which Tanzania is world-renowned.
The purpose is to delineate, assess, and prioritize wildlife corridors across Tanzania, including critical transboundary corridors to protected areas in neighboring countries, and to develop a “priority action plan,” as called for in Tanzania’s Corridor Regulations.
Permenent Secretaries, and other high- level officers from the secterial ministries and the wildlife releted institutions during a special forum over the mapping and restoration of the country's wildlife corridors. The meeting was held in the Dodoma Capital City.
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