Frankfurt society donates gear for wildlife surveillance

The vehicles will be dispatched to the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) and the Tanzania National Parks authority (TANAPA)
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Speaking at the handover ceremony, the minister for Natural Resources and Tourism , Prof Jumanne Maghembe said the country had been facing conservation challenges due to increased incidents of poaching, particularly of elephants.

“If poaching is not controlled, it will lead to the decrease of elephants in large scale as it happened for the rhinos which are now endangered,” he said.

He explained that another big challenge facing conservation of wildlife in the country was the wave of invasion of livestock in protected areas.

Out of the donated vehicles, ten land -cruiser pick-up trucks will be under the Selous Game Reserve and eleven for the Serengeti National Park to be used by authorities to strengthen law enforcement efforts.

The Serengeti- Mara and Selous ecosystems are critical areas for elephants, about half of Tanzania’s elephant populations. The two areas form important strongholds for this species’ distribution in Africa.

They are both recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. However in 2014, the Selous was listed as the World Heritage Site ‘danger’.

TAWA has been enhancing efforts to protect the Selous to counter ecosystem degradation and protect its vast wildness. The authority was formed in the country’s concerted efforts to fight poaching.

In his remarks, the director for FZS Tanzania Gerald Bigurube said long term cooperation and close presence with authorities were the core of the company’s strategy to conserve wildlife and ecosystems.

“Serengeti is the longest running conservation project of FZS’s engagement in Tanzania and remains at the core of our conservation work in Africa. And we are now reinforcing our efforts in the Selous,” he said.