ACHIEVEMENTS
The Greater Selous ecosystem, designated a World Heritage Site, hosts one
of the world's largest elephant populations. It is also home to the
critically endangered black rhino.
Both the elephant and rhino population were decimated by poaching in the
1980s, and the management infrastructure of the reserve needed help to
safeguard the remaining rhino and elephant populations. In 1990, WWF
established a project for the conservation and management of the Selous
Game Reserve, and efforts to protect the Selous are now entering a new
phase with support from CITES, the international commission on trade in
endangered species.
Initially, the WWF-sponsored projects concentrated on providing
anti-poaching patrols to all sectors of the reserve, maintaining the morale
of patrols and regularly assessing the status of the elephant population.
Information collected on the density, dispersal and numbers of the animals
has been used to create an elephant management plan for the reserve. At
a practical level WWF has provided four vehicles, 11 bicycles, eight
rubber boats, and one pontoon to improve the infrastructure of the Selous
Reserve.
Poaching has declined considerably since those early days, and although
none was recorded between 1991 and the end of 1993, the problem is now
reemerging. More and larger elephant herds can now easily be seen in most
game parks and reproduction is believed to be higher than 12 per cent.
Nothing much is known about the remaining rhino numbers in the Selous, but
some studies indicate there are two separate locations with viable
populations of the species. At the request of the Wildlife Division, WWF
recruited and funds a rhino National Coordinator who is presently
developing a management plan for the black rhino.
To the northeast of the Selous Game Reserve lies Zanzibar, just off the
Tanzanian coast in the Indian Ocean. The main threats to Zanzibar's
resources are the fast-growing human population and unsustainable fishing
techniques, since the Zanzibaris are highly dependent on marine resources
for food and employment. Menai Bay, in south-west Zanzibar, is a
traditional fishing ground with extensive areas of coral reefs. However,
this marine ecosystem is under threat from the use of destructive fishing
methods: a level of exploitation that is simply unsustainable.
But that is not the only problem in Zanzibar related to population growth.
Others include greater consumption of resources, increased production of
waste, and the destruction of mangrove forests for fuel and building
materials.
The people who live in the Menai Bay area have taken a first step towards
regulating fishing pressure. They have formed a management team to monitor
fishing seasons and techniques under the auspices of the Sub-Commission of
Fisheries (SCF) and the Sub-Commission of Lands and Environment. At the
invitation of the SCF, support is provided by WWF to both Zanzibari
communities and the authorities, with the aim of improving the management
of coastal resources round the Menai Bay.
Elsewhere, too, resources are under threat not only from indigenous
populations but also from the invasion of tourists. Mount Kilimanjaro,
Africa's highest mountain, is visited by more tourists than any other
national park in Tanzania. It is also an important source of food, fuel,
medicine, and building material for the people of north central Tanzania.
But it is precisely these pressures that threaten the Kilimanjaro region.
Deforestation, poaching and heavy tourism put enormous pressure on the
fragile Afro-Alpine ecosystem.
To combat these threats, WWF supported a symposium in 1989 to develop
recommendations for the conservation of Mount Kilimanjaro. Following the
adoption of a sound management strategy, WWF has concentrated on developing
an integrated land use plan for the park and surrounding areas.