Human–wildlife conflicts in Monduli District, Tanzania

An assessment of land-use conflicts was conducted in three semi-arid villages within the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem that are important wildlife dispersal areas and migratory routes linking northeast Tanzania protected areas. Data were collected through household and extension staff interviews, archive data from village government offices and field visits. Conflicts varied across villages and were mainly boundary conflicts with Lake Manyara National Park (LMNP). They included crop destruction and livestock depredation by wild animals, land scarcity, loss of former Manyara Ranch land to Tanzania Lands Conservation Trust (TLCT), which has imposed grazing restrictions, and insufficient buffer zone. An analysis of gender conflicts varied across villages. Several mitigation measures are suggested by both local communities and field extension staff. These include realization of economic benefits from wildlife-related enterprises, relocation of people to low-density areas, implementation of compensation schemes for destruction made by wildlife, intensification of patrols, fencing of the park, need for land-use plans and need for villages to formulate their own natural resources management by-laws. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations.