This archive report was first published on 2 November 2021.
November 2, 2021, marked a concerning day for wildlife conservation in Tanzania and Kenya as it was revealed that almost 60% of wildlife corridors along their shared border have disappeared.
Human encroachments and activities are primarily to blame for the loss of key habitats connecting wildlife populations, according to a study conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Professor Noah Sitati, a Wildlife Species Expert, warned that if left unchecked, the disappearance of wildlife corridors could lead to the stealth extinction of wildlife species, poor crop yields due to damage, and injuries and deaths of humans.
Linking core wildlife habitats is crucial for restoring and preserving biodiversity, allowing movement between important habitats to maintain genetic diversity in wildlife populations, as emphasized by Professor Sitati.
The BMZ Climate Facility Project, implemented by WWF in partnership with TNRF, aimed to address human-wildlife conflicts by providing communities with patrol equipment, monitoring, and human rights training for village game scouts in eight conservancies and four Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs).
The project, which received €5.2 million, focused on the northern part of Tanzania, specifically in four WMAs and Mkomazi wildlife corridors, covering over 60 villages.
