USA Africa Dialogue Series - WHERE ARE THE CONSERVATION CORRIDORS FOR ELEPHANTS IN SAADANI NP AND THE LOWER WAMI-RUVU RIVER BASIN OF EASTERN TANZANIA?

Interim report for Year 1 – Saadani Wami Mbiki Ecosystem

Reporting Period:

This report combines the results from our Year 1 report (July 2010 to March 2010). This project was initiated in January 2010 with Major Support from USAID through TCMP/URI, Kilimanjaro Elephant Research and Conservation Project, Grumeti Reserves Fund and other stakeholders in which 17 satellite collars were deployed on elephants in Saadani National Park and Wami Mbiki in the eastern Tanzania.

 

INTRODUCTION

The Saadani NP, Wami-Mbiki WMA and the Wami and Ruvu rivers provide important ecological links for wildlife in eastern Tanzania.  Although there is little information on the abundance, distribution and dispersal patterns of elephants in the region, Milewski (1993) speculated that elephants occurred throughout the area.  Baldus et al. (2001) reported extensive elephant sign along the Wami River in the southern part of Saadani NP (formerly game reserve) and estimated a population of 50 elephants in the northern part of the park.  Bloesch and Klotzli (2004) also reported elephant sign in the central part of the park near Saadani Village.  Based upon local knowledge, Sumerlin and Gritzner (2007) speculated on the occurrence of elephant movement corridors linking Saadani NP with the Selous Game Reserve to the south along the Ruvu River and to the southwest to Mikumi NP through the Wami-Mbiki WMA. However, there are only limited wildlife survey data available for Saadani NP, Wami-Mbiki WMA or the lower Wami-Ruvu River Basin.  In addition to their diverse habitats and wildlife communities, the region also hosts diverse human populations.  To the west of the park is the Wami-Mbiki WMA, consisting of a 3,000km² core area and a 1,200km² buffer area with 23 villages.  Despite it designation, there is much deforestation in the WMA and adjacent lands due to agricultural expansion along the floodplains of the Wami River, and for fuel wood, timber and extensive charcoal production.  Wildlife poaching and over-exploitation of fisheries resources also occur.  Further west of the WMA there is large scale irrigated sugar production (Melamari et al., 2003).  This complex mosaic of diverse natural communities in protected and unprotected status interspersed with numerous human settlements and small and large scale agricultural lands poses significant challenges for wildlife conservation in eastern Tanzania.  Further, there is reportedly much human-elephant conflict because of the seasonal movements of elephants and the proximity of human settlements and agriculture to elephant habitats in the region.  With increasing human populations and loss of natural habitats in eastern Tanzania, this potential for conflict will increase.  

 

With elephant home ranges and dispersal areas increasingly fragmented and human-elephant conflicts increasing (Dublin et al., 1997; Hoare & du Toit, 1999; Sitati et al., 2003), protection of movement corridors is recommended for linking protected areas and reducing human-elephant conflicts in Tanzania (Mwalyosi, 1991; Hofer et al., 2004) and other eastern and southern African countries (Osborn & Parker, 2003; Douglas-Hamilton et al., 2005).  Further, in Tanzania human settlements and farms around several protected areas, including Saadani NP (Tobey et al., 2005; Torell et al., 2006), have increased their isolation and threatened traditional migration routes (Borner, 1985; Mwalyosi, 1991; Newmark, 1993, 1996; Kamenya, 2000; Hofer et al., 2004).  Thus, the goal of our 2.5 year research program is to obtain information on the seasonal abundance, distribution and movements of elephants within Saadani NP and the lower Wami-Ruvu River Basin of eastern Tanzania.  Such information is needed to identify those habitats outside of protected areas that support elephants and their movements within the region.  Further, building upon the conservation success of the Kitendeni Corridor (Kikoti et al. 2009), this information is critical for working with partners to establish a network of wildlife conservation corridors and reducing human-elephant conflict throughout the region.

 

PROJECT GOAL:

DOWNLOAD https://rapidshare.com/files/2063618511/Interim_report_for_TCMP_Pwani_Project_2011.doc

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