EU support for Wildlife in Tanzania: Celebrating World Wildlife Day 2020

03.03.2020
Tanzania

Today as we celebrate the World Wildlife Day around the world we welcome the government's initiative to bring together key stakeholders in Moshi, Kilimanjaro region to commemorate this important day.

Dar es Salaam Region, Tuesday, 03 March 2020: Today as we celebrate the World Wildlife Day around the world we welcome the government's initiative to bring together key stakeholders in Moshi, Kilimanjaro region to commemorate this important day.

The EU has been a long standing collaborator in wildlife conservation activities across the globe and in particular in Tanzania. For decades, the EU helped to strengthen the wildlife authority's capacity in managing wildlife, combat poaching and promote community participation in conservation. The theme for World Wildlife Day this year is about commitment to the CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

The EU is a key supporter of the CITES and under the framework of this Convention, it has supported the adoption of far-reaching measures to tackle illegal trade and to reduce the demand for illegal wildlife products. Since 2001, the EU has been the main financial supporter of the MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) and MIKES programme (Minimising the Illegal Killing of Elephants and other Endangered Species), with a contribution to the CITES Secretariat of 24 million EUR covering 71 sites in Africa and Asia. Greater emphasis is now being put on enforcement actions covering other endangered species in addition to elephants.

The MIKES site in Tanzania is along the Katavi-Rukwa-Lwafi ecosystem where the main activities include provision of technical, operational and material support for the strengthening of law enforcement capacity and adaptive management systems. It includes provision of patrol vehicles, installation of radio communication system network and maintenance of ranger posts. Discussion and planning is under way to also provide support under the MIKES in Selous Game Reserve and its nearby wildlife corridors.

EU support to other wildlife management interventions in Tanzania under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) includes a Cross-Regional Wildlife Conservation program for Eastern and Southern African and the Indian Ocean. The Program is implementing eleven projects through civil society organisations, focusing on community involvement in wildlife conservation and improved management of shared eco-systems. One project implemented by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) involves government stakeholders with a focus on law enforcement and enhanced anti-trafficking efforts. The whole program has a financial window of 30 Million Euro (approx. 74.3 billion Tanzania Shillings) with the overall aim to strengthen Trans-frontier Conservation Area management and improve law enforcement on wildlife crime. As part of this regional program, three projects are being implemented in Tanzania:

  1. Greater Kilimanjaro initiatives to enhance community participation in sustainable conservation of the trans-frontier ecosystem and wildlife  – implemented by Oikos
  2. Strengthening Community Support for Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching Efforts in the Greater Kilimanjaro Trans Frontier Conservation Area (TFCA) - implemented by IFAW
  3. Initiative for Conservation of Mara-Serengeti Transboundary Ecosystem – implemented by Vi Agroforestry)

It is our hope that by the end of these projects all stakeholders will have the capacity to ensure sustainable management of their wildlife ecosystems, and that the already good collaboration between countries in combating cross-border wildlife crimes is strengthened even further.

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