10020688-Mitigation of Human - Wildlife Conflicts in Tanzania II

The project "Mitigation of Human-Wildlife Conflicts in Tanzania" supports the implementation of Tanzania"s National Human-Wildlife Conflict Management Strategy in the Ruvuma landscape, particularly in the districts of Liwale, Namtumbo, and Tunduru. The project aims to strengthen the coordination and steering capacity of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and its subordinate institutions and local Goverment, improve the response to acute human-wildlife conflicts, and enable local communities to manage these conflicts in a more sustainable, gender-sensitive, and participatory way. Human-wildlife conflict in the project area is driven by growing pressure on land and natural resources, increasing settlement and agricultural expansion, livestock grazing, climate stress, and weak coordination between relevant institutions. These conflicts result in crop losses, property damage, threats to human safety, and declining acceptance of wildlife conservation. The project addresses these challenges by combining institutional capacity development, land-use planning, early warning and response mechanisms, and community-based resilience measures. At national level, the project supports improved intersectoral coordination and the development of effective implementation structures for the strategy. At subnational level, it strengthens the capacity of wildlife authorities, district administrations, and other relevant actors to respond more quickly and effectively to human-wildlife incidents. At village level, it supports participatory land-use planning, the development and implementation of Community Action Plans, and locally adapted conflict mitigation measures that take gender-specific risks and needs into account. The project also promotes public awareness and environmental education through the revitalization of environmental clubs (Malihai Clubs) in schools and colleges, as well as through the strengthening of outreach programs by relevant institutions. In addition, it supports financial resilience at community level by promoting savings and loan associations and selected livelihood measures. Through this integrated approach, the project contributes to improving coexistence between people and wildlife and to the long-term implementation of Tanzania"s national strategy