MAASAI PASTORALIST DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION-LARETO (MPDOProject Name
Management of Human-Wildlife Conflicts in Monduli District
LARETO) is t
D e v e lo p m e
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aasai Pastor
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g a n i z a ti o n
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M
O - LARE T
MANAGEMENT OF HUMAN- WILDLIFE CONFLICTS IN MONDULI DISTRICT
LONG-TERM PROGRMME
PROJECT CONTACT DETAILS MPDO-LARETO
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Project Location
Monduli District – Lossimingori
Project Initiator
Baraka N. Laizer
Proposed supervisor
Enock Chengullah
Proposed start Date
January 2012:
Proposed End Date
On-going
Address
P. O BOX 13987 Arusha, Tanzania
E-mail address
Mpopdlareto2005@yahoo.com; lebarakalaizer2@yahoo.com
Telephones
+255 754975196; +255 787975196
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1.0 Background Information Maasai Pastoralists Development Organization (MPDO – LARETO) is a Non-governmental Organization formed in 2002 and formally registered in 2005 under the Ministry of Home Affairs with registration No. 13284. Its headquarters are based in Lossimingori village, but having its communication office in Arusha City. MPDO-LARETO was formed to with the objective of facilitating community development initiatives through capacity building and awareness creation in all sectors of development. The area of operation currently being Monduli District in the villages of Naiti, Lendikinya, Lossimingori, Mbuyuni, Lepurko, Mtimmoja, Lashaine, Arkaria, Esilalei, Oltukai and Arkatan village. LARETO is a Maasai word which means “community self-help�. The organization was formed after the realization that the Maasai pastoral community especially in Monduli District are lagging behind in all aspects of development when compared to other ethnic groups in Tanzania as well as in this modernized world.
Mission Statement Our mission is to rehabilitate and restore community livelihoods living in Monduli District though encouraging and empowering men, women, and youth by providing capacity building in areas of education, health and HIV/AIDS awareness, natural resource management through sensitizing and promoting sustainable development among pastoral community, and in collaboration with other organizations that aim to helping poor and marginalized communities. The villages where MPDO-LARETO is working some are located adjacent to Tarangire national park and within dispersal and wildlife corridors from Tarangire to Manyara national parks. The Residents of these villages live a rural lifestyle and are agro-pastoralists, keeping medium to large herds of livestock. They also cultivate cereal and legume crops. Majority of villagers in project villages engage themselves in crop production. The farm sizes vary from 20-200 acres depending on individual capacity and village location. They use tractors, hand hoes and ox-plough to carry out cultivation activities.
2.0 Problem Statement As mentioned above the location of most of the project villages specifically Lossimingori, Lepurko, Naiti, Makuyuni, Naitolia, Mswakini Juu, Maswakini chini, Esilalei and Oltukai experience wildlife crop raiding, and livestock depredation resulting into wildlife-human conflicts. So far the major and existing conflict is between cropping and wildlife, especially during the rainy season where most of the farms are cultivated with different crops and in some cases there is predation by wildlife and human killed by elephants. A myriad of wildlife species come from the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem during wet season and retrieve back just after rain season when water dries up in swamps and Maasai steppe flood pans. In the course of these animals coming out of their protected areas they encounter farms and as a result raid crops like maize beans wheat while other animals like lions and other predators prey on cattle and shoats hence, aggravating the poverty levels of the already poverty stricken rural communities. The level of wildlife crop damage is very high because the villages border Tarangire National Park while others border Manyara National Park. There are MPDO-LARETO
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frequent reports of crop damage by elephants and some of the farms have been completely abandoned to avoid damage and desperation. The above mentioned human and wildlife conflict due to crop raiding and livestock predation has resulted into increased food insecurity in the villages and resource use conflicts among farmers, wildlife conservationists and negative attitude about wildlife and protected areas. Some poor farmers attempt to use fire to guard their farms but risking their lives as it has been reported that several times some individuals were injured and while others were even killed by elephants in an effort to safeguard their crops. Conversely, others threatened to use spears and traps to kill marauding elephants despite knowing that it illegal to do so therefore, it is high time for affected communities, conservationists the project and other relevant stakeholders to devise mechanisms for identifying, mapping conflict zones, managing and resolving such inevitable existing and potential conflicts. Hence, MPDO-LARETO is proposing this project for managing human-wildlife conflicts in respect of crop raiding and livestock predation. But, as a pilot case the project envisages to start with elephant mitigation techniques and later on after success will expand and embark on large carnivores that prey on livestock species such as lions and hyenas.
3.0 Overall objective MPDO-LARETO’s Man and Wildlife project aims at reducing human wildlife conflicts and promotes improved livelihoods through food security from farm produce at the same time safeguarding wildlife and human population and the resultant co-existence.
4.0 Project objective The project on conflict management has the following objectives to be met that include:4.1 To educate and empower communities on proper ways to protect their farm produce when controlling crop raiding animals particularly the elephants 4.2 Mapping wildlife conflict zones that will inform future land use planning strategies 4.3 To protect wildlife from the use of lethal methods by villagers in controlling marauding and stubborn animals 4.4 To facilitate institution of modern mitigation measures as well as formation of community based institutions to deal with the problem
5.0 Project results 5.1 Seventy (70) community representatives trained on proper ways to control destructive animals from 9 villages and demonstrations made in each village by year 1 5.2 Food security in the villages from protected farm produce increased and families more happy starting year 2 5.3 Communities attitude towards wildlife positively changed 5.4 Human and wildlife security and safety increased in mitigation techniques adopted villages by year 3 3. PROJECT BRIEF SUMMARY Summary of project activities The specific activities of the study are collection of secondary data on Human-Elephant Conflicts and existing mitigation measures in the 9 mentioned villages surrounding Tarangire and Manyara National Parks. Collection of primary data on magnitude and distribution of elephant crop damage in villages around Tarangire and Manyara National Parks to determine MPDO-LARETO
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seasonal and spatial elephant movement patterns in order to institute grassroots/local level chili mitigation measures to the reduce crop raiding and through education to improve community awareness in villages around Tarangire and Manyara National Parks on elephant and other wildlife conservation. Brief description of methodology The study will be an involvement project with 9 intervention villages as explained above. The study will commence with collection of secondary baseline information on human-elephant conflict especially crop raiding in the intervention villages using a combination of qualitative data collection methods (review of village/ward records, in-depth interviews, questionnaire survey with local communities, wildlife authorities, district officials and focused groups discussions). Information to be collected will include high conflict zones/areas in the village, type of crops damaged, age at damage, applied mitigation measures, losses of yields, composition of raiding elephants, elephant movement patterns, killed elephants etc). After collection of baseline information, a grassroots chili mitigation tool pack to deter elephants will be established in high conflict areas in the intervention villages. Three model farms will be randomly selected at each village and included in the study. The intervention will use Community Based Conflict Mitigation (CBCM) Tool pack using integrated chili based fence method e.g. chili sisal ropes, chili bricks, mutton clothes, used engine oil, buffer zone and tradition methods. A local enumerator will be recruited in each village trained and supervised to systematically collect data on damage incidents by elephants. The selected 9 villages will be visited on monthly basis by the project team to obtain information on crop raiding collected by enumerators for the whole growing season. The duration of the study will be one year before scaling up the chili based approaches to other villages around Tarangire and Manyara National Parks including the control villages in the second year. Other Anticipated benefits on community livelihoods and outputs This project will enhance wildlife conservation in the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem. The wildlife populations including elephants will benefit from conservation, while the local communities will benefit from increased crop yield, which on the other hand will increase food security and household income. Most importantly, farmers in participating villages will act as model farmers, and therefore the intervention will at a later stage be adopted by all farmers in the village as well as other farmers in nearby villages.
How this project will contribute to conservation of elephants and other mammals? This project will significantly contribute to wildlife conservation particularly elephants through reduction of killing of elephants and other animals due to crop raiding, which is the most common form of conflict causing killing or injury of elephants in retaliation to crop raiding or loss of human life. The project will also contribute towards conservation of elephants through increasing community conservation awareness on the importance of elephants in villages surrounding Tarangire and Manyara National Park. Methodology and work plan Phase I: Collection of baseline information on Human-Elephant Conflicts The study will be an intervention project with 9 intervention villages. The study will commence with collection of secondary baseline information on human-elephant conflict especially crop raiding in the intervention and non-intervention villages using a combination of qualitative data collection methods (review of village/District records, in-depth interviews, MPDO-LARETO
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questionnaire survey with local communities, wildlife authorities, district officials and focus group discussions). Information to be collected will include high conflict zones/areas in the village, type of crops damaged, age at damage, mitigation measures, losses of yields, composition of raiding elephants, elephant movement patterns, killed elephants etc). Phase II: Institution of community-based chili mitigation measures to deter elephants After collection of baseline information, a community-based chili mitigation tool box to deter elephants will be instituted in high conflict areas in the intervention villages. The intervention will use Community Based Conflict Mitigation (CBCM) Tool pack using integrated chili based fence method e.g. chili sisal ropes, chili bricks, mutton clothes, used engine oil, buffer zone and tradition methods. Chili will be re-applied on ropes and mutton clothes on monthly basis around each intervention farm to maintain the chili strength. A local enumerator will be recruited in each village including the control village, trained and supervised to systematically collect data on damage incidents by elephants using the standard data collection system. Enumerators will be visiting every farm that had been raided by elephants together with the farmer, collect the necessary information and fill in the data sheets (date of damage, location, complainant(s), type of crop, age and quality of crop, size of cultivated plot, size of damaged portion, group composition of elephants, other incident details (e.g. grain store damage, water installation damage and human injury/death). Enumerators will also be visiting the chili fenced plots in each village once every week and whenever there is an incidence of crop raiding in either a chili fenced on non fenced plot in the village. In addition, data on number of elephants injured or killed by community members or wildlife officers and other details regarding the circumstances of the elephant raid will be collected. The selected 9 villages will be visited on monthly basis by the project staff team to obtain information on crop raiding collected by enumerators for the whole growing season. The duration of the study will be one year before scaling up the chili based approaches to other villages around Tarangire-Manyara bionetwork. Information on spatial and temporal movement patterns of elephants in villages around Tarangire-Manyara National Parks will be conducted using direct observation of elephants during the study. Direct observations will be done by enumerators in villages around Tarangire-Manyara National Park, members of the research team during each field visit as well as observations by game rangers, game wardens and staff within the system. Locations of elephants observed will be recorded using field notebooks and min-tape recorders. Personnel Three project staff led by Baraka N. Laizer, the MPDO-LARETO Coordinator will manage the project with external support from the consultant. The budget has provided for the proposed staff positions. Monitoring and evaluation Throughout the funding cycle, the project will be monitored on monthly basis by one member of the project team to visit project areas and villages once every month. This will be synchronized with the monthly visit to project sites for collection of data sheets from enumerators. The project results will be evaluated hand in hand with the monthly monitoring and evaluation procedure.
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Sustainability Sustainability of this project is ensured through involvement of farmers, village leaders, Management Authorities, local governments and politicians’ right from project design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of the project activities. Data analysis The office will hire some individual experts including consultation with people from conservation organizations to help with data analysis that have been collected. DURATION: ON-GOING 8. PROJECT LOCATION The study will be conducted in Monduli district villages, 9 villages which within the Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem.
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