• Students are required to submit two updates and a financial report for their grant. Ensuring follow-up on these submissions requires dedicated effort and engagement from the core team  
• Students have reported that being able to list the seed funding received through our program on their CVs has helped them secure additional funding opportunities in the future.

• When paired with supporting background information, we have found these hands-on experiences to be more impactful than traditional lectures or merely observing technology in use 
• Providing opportunities to engage with the entire lifecycle of a technology (e.g., from set up and deployment to data collection and analysis) better prepares students for using these technologies in their own projects

• Initially, we included participants at various career stages, but we found that older, more experienced individuals have different needs and require a distinct program tailored to their experience level
• Our entry-level training materials were less useful for women with more experience in the field
• Over the past two years, we’ve recruited at least one participant without formal education but with extensive on-the-ground experience. These individuals have thrived in the program, highlighting an opportunity to further cater to this audience in future iterations.

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.

This approach not only empowered the community but also provided benefits to various groups, including women. The concept can be expanded to the wider community, encompassing fishermen and schoolchildren, who can also acquire valuable skills and knowledge in heritage preservation.

During and after completing the KAP studies, it became clear to us that when interviewing local people, it was advantageous to know their mentality, life, everyday life, conditions that enable them to generate income from renting forest plots, collecting, processing, selling nuts and other forest products. The language and wording of the questionnaires were also important to people. The simpler and clearer the questions are phrased and the more accessible their language, the easier it is to get a clear and direct answer. And another important lesson lies in the behavior of the interviewers themselves, in their politeness, friendliness and willingness to explain or reformulate the question. 

Сommunity-based information campaign

In creating the information events plan, we used the edutainment principle and tried to make the events diverse and interesting for people of different statuses, occupations and ages. The main role in each event or activity was given to local people. They had to take an interest in ensuring that the condition of the walnut forests and other environmental problems in their area was addressed, not exacerbated. For example, in the third year of the March for the Parks, we saw a change in the attitude of the Dashman Nature Reserve staff towards this environmental action. The event, which some time ago was "on duty" and, in their opinion, was only our duty and responsibility, has now been seen by them as the transfer of knowledge to the younger generation and the cultivation of a caring attitude towards the forest in schoolchildren. On the day of the March of Parks, staff members of the zapovednik nature reserve donned their ceremonial Marine Wave uniforms, took schoolchildren on excursions to the forest, told them interesting facts about the flora, recalled practical cases and participated in a litter pickup on the territory of the zapovednik. Our summer school "Chyirak Zhangak" ("Strong Walnut") for high school students has become a place that is impossible to enter without a competition. During the selection rounds, we received 45-50 essays from high school students wishing to attend the summer school. We had to make difficult choices among the best of the best because of the limitation on places for participants. In other events we could often count on the active participation and support of local people. During the filming of short films, they played occasional roles for free and lent their homes as filming sites.

Key lessons learned include:

• Contextual Adaptation: Tailoring the analysis to specific contexts and needs enhances effectiveness and addresses complexity.
• Visualization Tools: Diverse visual representations, like metro maps and decision trees, improve understanding and communication of pathways.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Involving multiple actors is crucial for addressing varied values and objectives, requiring robust governance structures to support ongoing monitoring.
• Shared Experiences: Documenting and sharing experiences can facilitate wider adoption and application of adaptive pathways in practice.

• Inclusivity Drives Success:
  Engaging all stakeholders—community members, conservationists, agricultural experts, and government officials—was essential to the success of the integrated land use planning. The participatory approach ensured that diverse needs were considered, fostering community ownership and long-term adherence to the plan. The inclusion of local knowledge, reinforced by continuous sensitization through the BIOPAMA project’s community meetings, contributed significantly to the plan’s success.
• Climate-Smart Agriculture is Key to Productivity:
  The use of certified seeds and climate-smart agricultural practices under the 10% Fence Plan led to significantly higher yields, demonstrating that sustainable farming techniques can greatly benefit local communities. The successful integration of these practices allowed the community to benefit economically while simultaneously contributing to the conservation of surrounding ecosystems.
• Economic Incentives Encourage Community Buy-in:
  Direct economic benefits, such as the provision of solar home systems, energy-saving cook stoves, dam liners, scholarship and education support, and health services, played a crucial role in encouraging community adherence to the land use plan. These livelihood projects, supported by Tsavo Trust, reinforced the balance between conservation and development, ensuring that communities saw tangible benefits from their participation in conservation efforts. This linkage between conservation and improved living standards fostered long-term support for the plan.
• Balancing Land Use Enhances Coexistence:
  By designating 10% of the land for agriculture and reserving 90% for wildlife and livestock, the land use plan successfully created a balance that supported human livelihoods while maintaining wildlife habitats. This careful land allocation reduced human-wildlife conflicts and ensured the sustainable use of natural resources, promoting long-term coexistence.
• Policy and Legal Frameworks Provide Stability:
  Strong policy backing and legal support were instrumental in enforcing the integrated land use plan. The collaboration with local governments ensured that land use boundaries were respected and violations addressed. This legal framework created a foundation for sustained conservation efforts and development.
• Adaptability is Essential for Sustainability:
  The continuous monitoring and evaluation of land use through GIS mapping and community feedback mechanisms allowed for adaptive management. This flexibility ensured that the land use plan could respond to changing environmental conditions and socio-economic needs, making it more resilient and sustainable in the long term.

Women’s involvement in mangrove conservation is a vital tool for empowering women to feel they are part of the solution and can take on more leadership roles in environmental conservation.

Involving community members before project implementation is crucial, they feel more mob to be part of the process and adds value to project implementation