Involving local communities in anti-poaching patrols

Snapshot Solution
Nalika Village Game Scouts, southern Tanzania © PAMS Foundation

The Ruvuma Elephant Project addresses the dramatic decline in elephant numbers due to poaching in an area spanning 2.5 mio. hectares including the Selous-Niassa Wildlife Corridor, on the Tanzanian side of the border. It acknowledges the socio-economic causes of poaching while increasing patrolling capacity, by involving local communities in PA management. Activities include joint patrol teams, financial incentives, education and training.

Last update: 02 Oct 2020
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Context
Challenges addressed
Poaching
Lack of alternative income opportunities
Lack of technical capacity
Poor monitoring and enforcement
Unemployment / poverty
Scale of implementation
Local
Ecosystems
Temperate grassland, savanna, shrubland
Theme
Access and benefit sharing
Poaching and environmental crime
Protected and conserved areas governance
Peace and human security
Sustainable livelihoods
Local actors
Protected and conserved areas management planning
Location
Selous Game Reserve, Morogoro, Morogoro Region, Tanzania
East and South Africa
Impacts

• Since the initiation of the project, measurable results have included: the seizure of 2,181 snares, 17,037 illegal timber (pieces), and 191 elephant tusks as well as 836 firearms; 1,552 rounds of ammunition, 6 vehicles, 16 motorcycles and the arrest of 601 people • Interventions implemented include providing direct assistance to local farmers for livelihood protection (for example, human-elephant conflict mitigation), supporting income-generating activities for the Wildlife Management Area communities (such as chilli pepper farming and beekeeping), and implementing a syllabus on conservation education in local schools • More than 85% of all arrests and seizures of illegal weapons and ivory has been achieved with the collaboration of, and information received from, members of the local communities. Most arrests have occurred outside of the protected areas and have been made before additional illegal wildlife killing has occurred within the REP area. The number of people arrested in the field through routine patrols decreased dramatically from the first year of the Project, as has the discovery of carcasses and ivory

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