Case Study Shows Enforcement and Compliance in Community Conservation of Wildlife Resources in Tanzania
By Uisso A.J, Research Officer, Tanzania Forestry Research Institute,

Enforcement and compliance of wildlife conservation laws has emerged as one of the most important global challenges confronting national planners, world bodies, professionals, and academics. Governments faced with increasing wildlife loss because of human activities have resorted to the creation of protected areas, commonly known as Wildlife Management Areas, as a strategy to both slow down habitat loss and/or degradation that leads to species extension and reduction rates.

The creation of a protected area, however, can have strong implications on the livelihoods of people inhabiting the forest and depending on it, especially those caught within its borders. The involvement of such inhabitants in the management process of the protected area can be profitable. Proper enforcement of the regulations and policies concerning wildlife protection are also needed to achieve compliance.

This article highlights an important case study regarding wildlife enforcement and compliance in Tanzania. The Wami-Mbiki Wildlife Management Area demonstrates the success of community wildlife conservation and development efforts in Tanzania.

The 1998 Tanzanian Wildlife Policy calls for the creation of Wildlife Management Areas that give local communities some control over wildlife resources and enable them to benefit directly from these resources. Such programs also foster compliance with wildlife conservation laws by creating a sense of ownership over the resource. Additionally, community participation in the conservation and management of wildlife resources is captured by the Policy.

The Wami - Mbiki Wildlife Management Area is among sixteen "Pilot Wildlife Management Areas" created to conserve Tanzanian wildlife and their ecosystems. This project originated in 1997 with the aim of conservation of wildlife resource in a proposed Wildlife Management Area at two adjoining areas on the borderline between three districts; Wami (in Morogoro and Mvomero Districts) and Mbiki (in Bagamoyo District).

In an effort to ensure compliance with wildlife conservation laws, the project has managed to prepare 24 land-use plans and bylaws, which should be followed by the community to ensure effective management of the wildlife protected area. The project also provided social assistance to the communities by building classes, dispensaries, teacher's houses, and village government offices.

Creation of awareness and education to empower the local people has resulted in compliance with conservation strategies over the area. As a result, environmental enforcement and compliance in the area, to some extent, has improved. Data on the project, available through various transect surveys done since 2000, show significant increases of wildlife in the area.

Despite the project's successes in increasing compliance with, and enforcement of, wildlife regulations in the Wami - Mbiki Wildlife Management Area, challenges still exist. For example, there are insufficient funds to enforce the wildlife policy and regulations. As a result, the project is highly dependent on donor funds. Also, there is a lack of enforcement resulting in poaching and illegal hunting of bush meat. Bush fires, charcoal burning, land-use conflicts, and poor honey harvesting practices also plague the Management Area. Human/wildlife conflicts exist as agriculture expansion reduces wildlife habitat. In general, negative attitudes by some people toward the wildlife conservation concept still exist. In short, the lack of private value created by the Management Area is still resulting in some overall compliance and enforcement issues.

In fostering compliance, it is recommended that the wildlife conservation regulations and policies should be enforceable. In this regard, the number of patrols and game scouts should be increased along with the funding for adequate equipments and tools to facilitate their work (such as boots, vehicles, motorcycles, guns, etc). Further, if the goal of protecting wildlife in any Wildlife Management Area need to be achieved, local people should recognize how they benefit from the conservation because the protected area provides them a source of livelihood.

To promote voluntary compliance, the communities must be consulted when the regulations and by-laws are prepared or revised, and education and public awareness raising should be made part of the enforcement programme. In addition, dissemination of the information about the progress of the conservation efforts should be of great importance at all levels (village, ward, district and central government).