Impacts of wildlife conservation on the communities surrounding Tarangire national park : the case of Olasiti, Sangaiwe and Lokisale Villages

The study aimed at assessing the impacts of wildlife conservation to the communities surrounding Tarangire National Park in Tanzania, a semi arid area not so suitable for crop farming. The study employed direct field observations, household questionnaire interviews, key informant’s interviews, and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) as data collection methods. The major findings include negative impacts to surrounding communities including; injuries or death to humans, crop damage, loss of arable and grazing land, dispossession of natural resources, and property destruction. These negative impacts have contributed to conflicts between communities and the park management due to the fact that some of the affected communities are not compensated for the losses incurred. However, there are benefits to the communities such as provision of employment opportunities, improvement of social services like classrooms, roads, and use of national park services like hospital. It is recommended that the Tarangire National Park Authorities should establish incentive mechanisms in order to minimize revenge killings of wildlife and increase local support and participation in conservation efforts. Furthermore, the government should amend the customary land rights law because despite their legal status, rural lands particularly pastoral lands have been highly susceptible to re-allocation by the state in favor of foreign investments. It is concluded that success in wildlife conservation depends on community perceptions and attitudes towards conservation which shape PA-community relationships. However, villager’s attitudes can be improved if the park management more actively involves the communities in decision making processes, while they maintain strict enforcement of laws and regulations on certain human activities.