Based on results from monitoring data and facilitated feedback discussions with the village grazing committees, rangeland restoration activities are identified as appropriate. This often requires the existing village grazing plan to be adapted and evolve with the changing state of the rangelands. For example, in Ngoley village, data collected over two years indicated one particularly problematic species (Sphaeranthus - locally called “Masida”) that proliferated significantly during a prolonged dry season and limited the regrowth of palatable species after the rains. To prevent further proliferation, an uprooting plan was designed and implemented based on the best practices for removing this particular species. Immediately after the first round of uprooting, the data show a drop in the species frequency and subsequent months of monitoring provide further evidence to suggest that native, palatable grasses are recovering in the treated plots.
A close working relationship with village grazing committees is critical to develop, refine, and implement rangeland management plans. Where village grazing committees do not already exist, following existing government and traditional village structures, APW helps facilitate their formation, building capacity to manage rangelands. While there is incentive to sustainably manage grasslands, the implementation of restoration activities can be arduous. APW provides financial incentives in the form of stipends that expedite interventions while providing an additional benefit to the community members who participate.
APW has learned the importance of working not just with village-level committees but also with larger ward-level governments. Many villages in northern Tanzania share rangeland or have adjacent pastures. Thus, it is necessary to work with neighboring villages to ensure continuity in management and connectivity of ecological benefits. Since adjacent villages may compete for high-quality rangeland, cooperative management of neighboring grazing areas is imperative. As villages are added to the program, gaps in ward-level management are filled by APW and other partners, moving one step closer to ensuring connectivity in a landscape shared by people, livestock, and wildlife.
In 2020, APW began conducting harmonization meetings that bring together different stakeholders from the village level, wards, divisions, districts, regions, different ministries, parastatal institutions, and NGOs among other stakeholders to discuss and streamline different agendas in regards to rangeland management in their different areas of work and also influence policy.
