The ruaha rungwa ecosystem in tanzania lost over half its elephants between 2009 and 2015 due to poaching for the ivory trade

This $2,093,420.28 Project Grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service through the African Elephant Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.620) to the non-profit organization Southern Tanzania Elephant. The four-year project aims to strengthen long-term security for elephants and their habitats in the Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystem of Tanzania. Key activities include:

Strengthening patrol capacity and enhancing professionalism of 155 rangers and village game scouts through training; facilitating aerial support and conservation technology for early threat detection and strategic deployment of protection resources; and enhancing protected area and community capacity for mitigating human-elephant conflict. The project also seeks to diversify community livelihoods and improve household resilience through access to safe and low-interest credit via village savings and loans associations and beekeeping. Expected outcomes include reduced elephant poaching, growth of the elephant population, enhanced ranger and scout capacity, reduced human-elephant conflict, and increased community tolerance and resilience.

While no longer in decline the elephant population remains at half of its pre poaching crisis size and population recovery is threatened by a resurgence in poaching and increasing human elephant conflict. Southern tanzania elephant program proposes a four year project with the goal of strengthening long term security of elephants and their habitats and enhancing human elephant coexistence in the ruaha rungwa ecosystem. Project objectives are to strengthen patrol capacity and enhance the professionalism of rangers and village game scouts facilitate aerial support and the use of conservation technology for early detection of threats and strategic deployment of protection resources enhance protected area and community capacity for mitigating the negative impacts of elephants and diversify community livelihoods and improve household resilience through access to safe and low interest credit via village savings and loans associations and beekeeping. Activities include skills training and human rights and safeguarding training for VGS and rangers support of ground patrols in mbomipa WMA implementing modern conservation technologies for early detection of threats and effective coordination and planning of patrols and aerial patrols and monitoring flights to support protection efforts on the ground. Activities also include strengthening ranger and VGS led HEC response expanding community outreach increasing community access to safe and reliable credit and more diversified livelihoods through village savings and loans associations financial literacy training and beekeeping. Project deliverables include training of 155 rangers and VGS 2400 hours of aerial support to the ecosystem equipping and training of HEC response teams outreach about safety around elephants and elephant conservation with 120000 community members and enhanced access to livelihood options for more than 300 farmers. Expected outcomes include a reduction in levels of elephant poaching and growth of the elephant population due to more effective protection operations enhanced capacity and professionalism of rangers and village game scouts reduction in elephant crop damage and in human and elephant deaths increased community tolerance of elephants and increased household resilience due to improved access to safe credit and more diversified livelihoods through beekeeping. The primary beneficiaries of this project will be the ruaha rungwa elephant population through increased security and community tolerance. Other beneficiaries include mbomipa WMA rungwa kizigo muhesi game reserves lunda nkwambi game controlled area and ruaha national park through improved capacity for protection and HEC management and the tanzanian government via activities in support of the national human wildlife conflict management strategy and the national elephant management plan. The project will benefit communities in 120 villages adjacent to RKM GRS mbomipa WMA and lunda nkwambi GCA through enhanced ranger and VGS capacity for human elephant conflict management and over 900 farmers will benefit from increased livelihoods financial literacy and resilience to elephant impacts.