Masegari Tumbuya Rurai (ELP 2024) | Programme Manager (Serengeti Ecosystem Conservation Programme - Tanzania), Franfurt Zoological Society, Tanzania

In the Loliondo area, located in the eastern part of the Serengeti National Park, lives pastoral and agro pastoral communities, Masai and Batemi, respectively, whose livelihoods depend largely on livestock. This area is part of the Greater Serengeti ecosystem where wildlife coexists with human life. The Loliondo highlands covered by pristine montane forest glades are an important water catchment for both the Serengeti ecosystem to the west and the Lake Natron ecosystem to the east. The freshwater from these mountains makes life possible in this dry savannah woodland landscape. For livestock and wildlife to flourish they require good and healthy rangeland for grassing. In the past 2 decades, the communities in this area have suffered a great loss of their livestock due to rangeland degradation caused by severe drought and invasive species, which has occupied most of the rangeland. The poor rangeland conditions have been exacerbated by the resource use conflicts among the stakeholders in the area. This is increasingly becoming an environmental challenge in the Loliondo landscape.

To address this problem, I am leading a project which aims to support communities in 10 villages bordering the Serengeti National Park in order to restore the rangeland in the livestock grassing areas. The restoration of the rangeland to its healthy condition is expected to improve the health of livestock and hence well-being of the people. The first phase of the project will facilitate the physical removal of invasive plants covering an area of 50 km2 in the landscape. This is expected to benefit about 10,000 pastoral community members living in 10 villages. Also, about 15,000 livestock (cattle and shorts) will benefit from the improved rangeland condition.

In realization of this project, it will improve the well-being of the community as well as the environment at large.