© beverly joubert heartland news...wildlife and wild lands, they are more likely to help conserve...

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Putting the Landscape Back Togetherin Maasai Steppe

IN THIS ISSUE

CAPACITY BUILDING ANDLEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENTAWF helps to develop African wildlifemanagers, leaders and institutions.

VP FOR PROGRAM MESSAGECelebrating 45 years of AWF's workin Africa.

SPECIES STORIESAWF focuses on species conservationin situ.

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A NEWSLETTER FOR PARTNERS OF THE AFRICAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION

African Heartland News

April - July 2006

© Beverly Joubert

In the last decade, conservationists havecome to understand that wildlife survivaldepends on the conservation of large,cohesive landscapes. Landscape-levelconservation not onlyencourages healthy wildlifepopulations but alsocontributes to the livelihoodsof the people living in thearea. In turn, when localpeople benefit from thewildlife and wild lands, theyare more likely to helpconserve it.

In 1998, the African WildlifeFoundation (AWF) adopted alandscape-level approach byinitiating the AfricanHeartlands Program. AWF hasnow designated eightHeartlands located in eastern,central and southern Africa (see AfricanHeartland map on page 12). TheseHeartlands have been selected for theirecological value and economic feasibility. Ineach African Heartland, AWF works closelywith a wide range of partners andstakeholders to develop region-specificactivities that aim to protect more land forconservation while mitigating threats tovaluable resources. This approach hasdistinguished AWF among its conservationcolleagues.

Although still a work-in-progress, theMaasai Steppe Heartland in Tanzania (seemap on page 4) is a large-landscapeconservation success story. Over thecourse of several years, AWF, with majorsupport from USAID and other donors, hasinvested about $8 million and has madesignificant progress towards leveraging keyland units necessary to help put thelandscape of the Maasai Steppe backtogether.

A decade ago, the Maasai Steppelandscape was highly fragmented due topopulation growth and an increaseddemand for land for settlement and

cultivation. Key wildlifecorridors and dispersal areaswithin the landscape werethreatened and, with them,the wildlife that depended onthese areas. Reducedgovernment funding meantthat Tanzanian national parkscould not invest sufficiently inconservation management inprotected areas, thusincreasing both the short-term and long-term threats tothe area’s wildlife.

AWF’s conservation efforts inthe Maasai Steppe began withefforts to support Tarangire

and Lake Manyara National Parks so thatthey could continue to act as anchors tothe landscape. These parks faced variouschallenges; among them lack of planning,poor roads, poor staff facilities and lack ofvisitor facilities. All these challengesaffected not only the management of theparks but also the tourist experience.

As a first step, AWF identified the keypriorities for strengthening the parks andworked with partners – mainly TanzaniaNational Parks (TANAPA), district councilsand local communities – to developmanagement plans to provide thefoundation for improved management inthe parks. One of the critical elements tosuccess was an improved infrastructure.These plans identified the objectives, mainpriorities and management activitiesrequired to improve management in theparks. With funding from USAID, AWFhelped to implement aspects of the

continued on page 4

© C.R. Sholley

AWF SENIOR STAFF

Patrick Bergin, Ph.D.President & CEO

United States

Helen Gichohi, Ph.D.Vice President for Programme

Kenya

Giles DaviesAssociate Director, Enterprise

Kenya

Jef DupainHeartland Coordinator,

Maringa Lopori Wamba LandscapeDemocratic Republic of Congo

Joanna ElliottVice President for Technical Design,

United Kingdom

James Kahurananga, Ph.D.Programme Director, Arusha Center

Tanzania

James Kiyiapi, Ph.D.Programme Director, Kenya Programme

Simon Munthali, Ph.D.Programme Director, White River Center

South Africa

Philip Muruthi, Ph.D.Director of Conservation Science

Kenya

Jimmiel MandimaHeartland Coordinator, Zambezi

Heartland, Zambia

Henry Mwima, Ph.D.Programme Director, Zambezi Center

Zambia

Paul Ole NtiatiHeartland Coordinator,

Kilimanjaro Heartland, Kenya

Eugène RutagaramaHeartland Coordinator,

Virunga Heartland

Fiesta WarinwaHeartland Coordinator,

Samburu HeartlandKenya

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African Heartland Newsis published three times a year.

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONSElodie Sampéré

PROGRAMME PERFORMANCE &COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Daudi Sumba

© 2006 African Wildlife FoundationP.O. Box 48177, 0100

Nairobi KenyaTel: +254 20 2710367Fax: +254 20 2710372

[email protected]

From the Desk of the Vice President for Program:Celebrating 45 Years of AWF’s Work inAfrica

African Heartland News page 2

successes in these areas are presented inthis newsletter. Our local partners testify tothe success of our approach: the seniorwarden of Samburu National Reserve innorthern Kenya recently said, “AWF hasmeant everything to us. Without AWF wewould not have the park facilities, ranger

stations and equipmentthat we need to receiveguests and patrol thepark to preventpoaching.”

During our 45th year, Iwant to reflect on ourlegacy of leadership andthe work of thoseleaders AWF hashelped educate. I alsowant to re-dedicateourselves to ouragenda of conservinglarge landscapes whichwe believe are the

future of conservation in Africa. We willcontinue to sharpen and increase the paceof implementation of our key strategies:land conservation; enterprise development;species research; and capacity building. Wewill also continue to learn from others andlook for creative and new ways of resolvingthe challenges that face both people andwildlife in these landscapes.

In all of these efforts, you our partners arecritical. It is by working with you that wecan achieve what we all strive for – long-term conservation of Africa’s wildlife and wildlands, development of economicopportunities from wildlife in our focalcountries as well as the communities whomost directly support conservation.

Thank you for joining me in celebratingAWF’s 45 years of commitment to Africa!

I am pleased to present to you thisanniversary edition of AfricanHeartland News, celebrating 45years of AWF’s work in Africa. AWFwas created in 1961 when forward-looking individuals who knew andloved Africa sawthe importance ofbuilding thecapacity of Africanpeople on thecontinent tomanage their ownwildlife.

Our mission at that time wasto build African leadershipthrough education. Weembarked on a program thattargeted mid-level,graduate and post-graduate level training tobuild a cadre of individualsthat would manage parksand undertake wildlife conservation at alllevels. To that end, we have supported post-graduate studies of more than 100 Africanconservationists, most of whom now workwith wildlife authorities around Africa.Through this commitment to leadershipdevelopment, AWF has become a uniqueconservation organization – one that isdeeply connected to Africa and its people.This is evident in our staff – more than 85percent of our personnel are Africansworking in Africa.

Today, our mission is to work with the peopleof Africa to ensure that the wildlife and wildlands of Africa endure forever. Althoughdevelopment of African leadership andcapacity building remains at the core of ourwork, our program has evolved to focus onlandscape-level approach to conservationthrough our African Heartlands Program.Since we instituted this approach in 1998,we have engaged local African communities,governments, NGOs, researchers, andprivate companies in our efforts to makeconservation a priority across selectedlandscapes and ecosystems.

Although the African Heartlands Program isyoung, our impact in these Heartlands isbecoming evident through our conservationenterprise activities, land and habitatconservation work, research programs andcapacity-building efforts. Some of our

- Helen Gichohi, Ph.D.

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Over the last forty-five years, AWF hasplayed a critical role in saving some ofAfrica’s most endangered species. Perhapsthe most notable is the work to save themountain gorillas during an era of armedconflict.

AWF’s involvement in saving the mountaingorillas began with the work of the late DianFossey. In 1966, Fossey began studyingand protecting goril las in Zaire, laterexpanding her work into Rwanda. Fossey’swork exposed the world to the plight of thethreatened gorillas, ultimately leading to theformation of an international consortium —the Mountain Gorilla Project (MGP) — tocoordinate all gorilla protection efforts. Ledby AWF, the consortium included FaunaPreservation Society and World Wide Fundfor Nature (WWF). This project improvedpark protection for goril las, raisedawareness of the need for theirconservation and the increase potential fortourism benefits to government. Thesuccess of the MGP in Rwanda led toformation in 1990 of the International GorillaConservation Program (IGCP) as a regionalstrategy to extend protection of gorillas toUganda and Zaire. IGCP is a collaborationbetween AWF, Fauna & Flora International(FFI) and WWF.

IGCP continued to support gorilla protectionin Rwanda even as fighting and refugeesspilled into the park during the civil unrestof the 1990s. At the same time, IGCP builtup protection in Uganda and Zaire. Whenconflict broke out in Zaire, IGCP workcontinued.

Most recently, IGCP has improvedtransboundary cooperation betweenDemocratic Republic of Congo (formerlyZaire), Rwanda and Uganda for gorillamonitoring, protection and policy. WithAWF’s support, IGCP has also initiated aranger-based monitoring system that hasgreatly reduced poaching and destructionof gorilla habitat. IGCP has also increasedthe capacity of these three countries toprotect gorillas by providing support to theprotected areas, training staff, improvingfacilities, etc. In Uganda, IGCP has assistedthe Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) topurchase a buffer zone around BwindiImpenetrable National Park which hashelped to protect farmers’ lands and reducehuman-gorilla conflict.

Today, gorilla tourism is one of the largestcontributors offoreign exchangeto the economiesof these countries.AWF is helping thecountries developg o r i l l a - b a s e dtourism that willbenefit not onlythe governmentsthrough parkrevenues but alsothe people that livebeside goril laprotected areas.IGCP has assistedUWA in developinga visitor center atMgahinga GorillaNational Park toimprove theexperience ofvisitors. A regionaltourism plan hasalso beendeveloped and isbeing implemented to improve coordinationof gorilla tourism in the region. AWF is alsoworking with communities in Nkuringo(Uganda), Kinigi (Rwanda) and Congo todevelop tourism ecolodges and a widerange of other enterprises that will providebenefits to these communities from gorillatourism. With IGCP’s help, these countriesare developing and implementing policiesthat will help them share gorilla tourismrevenues with the communities that live withgorillas.

As a result of thesecontinuing efforts, thepopulation of the highlyendangered mountaingorilla in the region hassteadily increased and nowstands at approximately 700individuals. IGCP, now hailedas one of the mostsuccessful conservationefforts in Africa, hasdemonstrated thatconservation can besuccessful even in adverseconditions and that it cancontribute to economic development inAfrica. More importantly, it hasdemonstrated the power of collaborationamong conservation organizationscommitted to a common goal and agenda.

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Species Stories:The Endangered Mountain Gorilla

Gorilla tourism is a win-win,benefiting both the gorillapopulation and the communitiesthat surround the protected wildlifeareas.

© C.R. Sholley

© C.R. Sholley

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Putting the Landscape Back Together in Maasai Steppe


management plans specifically by providing road-making equipment to improve the roadnetwork of the park and vehicles to improve transport for management activities. Finally,staff housing was renovated and improvements were made to water access in an effort toimprove the living conditions of park staff.

With improved infrastructure in place, AWF worked with the U.S. Department of Interior todevelop staff capacity by providing training in a variety of areas including visitormanagement, law enforcement, park management, ecological monitoring and environmentalimpact assessment. The improved infrastructure and enhanced staff capacity, as well asnew visitor centers and guidebooks, have improved the tourist experience in the parks.Today, Tarangire and Lake Manyara are some of the best managed parks in Tanzania witha steadily-increasing number of visitors.

The next priority for AWF and its partners was to restore connectivity between the parksfor wildlife migration. Ongoing elephant and predator research projects and historical dataon other migratory wildlife in the Maasai Steppe helped identify areas that are critical tomaintaining connectivity. The main challenge became how to secure these lands whichwere under different land tenure. One of these key areas was Manyara Ranch, a livestockranch and key corridor area for wildlife moving between the two national parks.

At the time, the government was moving to privatize Manyara Ranch – an action that couldhave led to activities on the property that would be incompatible with conservation efforts.An institutional mechanism was required that could be used to acquire the land forconservation and for community use for neighboring communities that felt they were entitledto use it for livestock grazing. To ensure that Manyara Ranch would benefit conservation

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efforts, AWF and its partners formed theTanzania Land Conservation Trust, whichthen acquired the 45,000 acre ManyaraRanch for conservation and community use.

AWF continues to support the managementof the ranch as a livestock and wildliferanch, but is facing some challenges.Commercialization of the ranch has takenlonger than anticipated, prolonging itsdependence on AWF. Although many effortshave been made to alleviate livestock-wildlife conflict, it sti l l occurs. And,unfortunately, illegal grazing continues dueto the quality of grasslands on the ranch.To alleviate conflict, communal grazing andaccess to water on the ranch proceduresare being developed.

After securing Manyara Ranch, AWF workedto bring the Makuyuni Ranch, which isadjacent to Manyara Ranch, underprotection. This would help facilitatemovement of wildlife into the Selela-Ngorongoro Area. AWF signed amanagement agreement with the NationalYouth Service who will bring the ranch underconservation. In the coming months, tourismactivities will be developed on the ranch inorder to provide some income for themanagement of the ranch and for theNational Youth Service. Thanks to theseefforts, wildlife can now move freelybetween Tarangire and Lake ManyaraNational Parks.

AWF then moved to address key wildlifedispersal areas around protected areas.The Simanjiro plains is one such area. Thisarea is critical to the long term survival forTarangire National Park because it facilitateswet season dispersal and breeding forwildlife, especially wildebeest and zebra.This area is severely threatened by landconversion to small and large scaleagriculture. AWF is working with the districtauthorities and communities on a processof zoning and management planning in thearea in order to protect it for use by livestockand wildlife for dispersal. This process hasrecently received support from the RegionalGovernment who issued a moratorium onland allocations to agriculture until the landuse planning is completed and the area hasbeen zoned. With the completion of the plan,the dispersal area stands a higher chanceof being conserved for wildlife and livestockuse.

AWF has also been working with partnersto secure other critical areas in thislandscape. One of these is the MarangForest which is an important watercatchment area for underground springsfrom the escarpment into Lake ManyaraNational Park. AWF has been working with

TANAPA to annex this forest reserve to thenational park to safeguard it. AWF hashelped to construct water points for rangersprotecting the forest and partnered with theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to survey thearea for potential tourism business that canbe developed in the area to generateincome for the park. The process of annexingthe forest is advancing and when completedwill safeguard the underground watersources crucial for the future of LakeM a n y a r aNational Parkand the wildlifein the land-scape.

Communit iesare critical tothe well-beingof the MaasaiS t e p p eHeartland. As u b s t a n t i a lpart of theHeartland iscovered byc o m m u n i t ypastoral areas.AWF continuesto work withMaasai Steppe communities to set asidecritical areas for conservation through landuse planning and to ensure the communitiesbenefit through enterprise development. Todate, 320,000 hectares of community landhave been set aside for conservation in theHeartland. These areas are used for sporthunting, photographic safari camping, andwildlife movement and dispersal. Thenumber of tourists visiting the MaasaiSteppe Heartland has significantly increasedin the last decade – from 112,000 in 1998to 152,000 in 2005 – an increase of 36percent. As a result, revenue generated fromtourism activities has increased from $2.7million to $3.2 million – a growth rate of 19percent. Though this immense tourismpotential augurs well with current efforts toset aside land for conservation and tourism,the challenge is whether these lands shallgenerate sufficient economic returns overtime in comparison to competing uses forcommunities to maintain them underconservation.

Almost a decade after AWF began workingin this area, the landscape-level approachhas made a huge difference in re-buildingthe Maasai Steppe landscape in Tanzaniaand helping to reconnect the keyconservation areas. Though manychallenges still exist, and more work stillneeds to be done, wildlife now has a higherchance of survival in the area well into thefuture.

The visitor center at TarangireNational Park has improved thetourist experience. The visitorcenter was built by AWF withfunding from USAID.

This Newsletter is fundedby the Netherlands Minis-try of Foreign Affairs/Di-rectorate General for In-ternational Cooperation(DGIS). The opinions ex-pressed herein do, however,not necessarily reflect theviews of DGIS.

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AWF's 45th AnnHere are just a few of the key milestones that

In 1989, AWF proposed theIvory Ban as an emergencymeasure to end out-of-controlelephant poaching.

1961 – Washington Safari Club’s Conservation Committee creates the AfricanWildlife Foundation (originally called the African Wildlife Leadership Foundation)

1962 – AWF’s first project is to help establish the College ofAfrican Wildlife Management, Mweka, Tanzania

1970 – AWF helps found the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya toeducate youth about the environment and conservation

1975 – AWF begins long-term support ofCynthia Moss’s Elephant ResearchProject; population grows from 400 to1,000+ elephants in the next 20 years

1982 – North Yemen bars legal import ofrhino horns after diplomatic interventionby AWF

1989 – AWF proposes the Ivory Ban asan emergency measure to end out-of-control elephant poaching.The African elephant is elevated to “most endangered” category byConvention on International Trade in Endangered Species(CITES)

1990 – AWF starts its Neighbours as Partners Program whichpioneered community conservation around national parks in Eastand Central Africa

1996 – The Charlotte Conservation Fellowship Programhonoring long-time AWF supporter Charlotte KidderRamsey is established to help develop conservationleaders through advanced training

1998 – AWF marks a new era in African conservation with its AfricanHeartlands Program to protect large landscapes of exceptional natural value

1999 - Partnership Options for Resource-Use Innovation (PORI), aproject supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development(USAID) designed to help develop community-based wildlife enterprises innorthern Tanzania, becomes the first African Heartland effort

1999 - AWF’s Enterprise Team brokers first partnership betweenOlolosokwan Community and Conservation Corporation Africa fordevelopment of a high-end tourism facility in the community area just outsideSerengeti National Park

2000 – AWF’s work expands into Southern Africa with the implementation ofAfrican Heartlands Program in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia and Botswana

The Charlotte ConservationFellowship Program wascreated in 1996 in memory oflong-time AWF supporterCharlotte Kidder Ramsey.

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In 2003 AWF launched itsLarge Carnivore Research Projectin Botswana and Namibia.


niversary Timelinet have marked our work over the last 45 years:

2001 – Tanzania’s President declares that Manyara Ranch will be protected as a majorwildlife corridor – and gives the ranch to the Tanzania Land Conservation Trust facilitatedby AWF

2001 - AWF's Conservation Business Ventures andUSAID open the doors to the Koija Starbeds ecolodge inthe Laikipia district of Kenya

2002 - The 7th Heartland is established -- the LimpopoHeartland spans the three diversecountries of Mozambique, SouthAfrica and Zimbabwe

2003 – AWF launches its LargeCarnivore Research Project whichfocuses on lions and the spottedhyenas in Chobe National Park innortheastern Botswana and theeastern Caprivi Strip of Namibia

2003 – AWF identifies the newCongo Heartland in the Democratic Republic of Congo, brighteningthe future of all species in the area, including the bonobo and Congopeacock

2004 - A large mammal survey, conducted by AWF, provides thefirst accurate data on elephants in the Zambezi Heartland; datashows that the elephant population has increased by 8 percent froman estimated 21,114 in 2001 to22,826 elephants

2004 - Thanks to a partnership between AWF,USAID, and Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), newVisitor Centers open at Lake Manyara National Parkand Tarangire National Park

2005 - AWF helps establish the Kenya LandConservation Trust, a new national body which willallow land to be privately held for conservation, thussupplementing the traditional government parks andreserves

2005 - AWF partners with Starbucks, launching athree year project aimed at promoting coffee quality,environmental sustainability and natural resourceconservation in east Africa

2005 - AWF partners with the Mozambican government to restore the magnificentBanhine National Park. Biological surveys and construction of an international researchcenter have begun

AWF is working to restoreBanhine National Park inMozambique. Construction ofan International ResearchCenter is almost complete.

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a voluntary legally binding agreement thatrestricts certain types or amounts ofdevelopment such as sub-division, orfencing on a property in order to conservenatural resources. It was created underKenya’s recently enacted EnvironmentManagement and Coordination Act of 1999.This instrument was selected because ittook into account economic and landmarkets in the area, unlike varioustraditional land conservation tools that hadbeen tried without much success becausethey were insensitive to markets that havedriven land use decisions in the area. Thetool was also selected to complement andsafeguard wildlife movement to the privatelands where the Wildlife Foundation wasimplementing a conservation lease (directpayments) program with funding from theWorld Bank.

The design of the easement was notwithout challenges. At the time, there wascontroversy between politicians andindividual landowners over the ownershipand use of the land. One party wanted thearea to be used for wildlife conservationwhile the others wanted to convert it intoprivate holding for residential purposes. Acourt injunction had to be obtained tosafeguard the land. Extensive consultationsand negotiations were conducted betweenthe parties and the government and later,all the parties agreed to sign the easement.The easement prohibits activities such asfencing, construction of building forresidential or industrial use, cultivation andsubdivision. It will be enforced by the KenyaWildlife Service and the local community. Thisis the first ever easement in Kenya andtherefore AWF and partners are nowworking with the Commissioner of lands tocreate operational procedures to make theeasement effective and guideimplementation of easements in Kenya.Awareness will need to be created amongprivate land owners on the easement as atool for wildlife conservation to increase itsuse, especially in large wildlife ranches ofnorthern Kenya.

Baring any legal challenges to theeasement or political interests blocking itsapproval, it is poised to secure this criticalpiece of land for continual use by wildlifefor migration and dispersal from NairobiNational Park. It will ensure that the spacecontinues to be open to allow for healthyecological interactions for the wildlifepopulations in the park.

The Kitengela area lies to the south of NairobiNational Park and has some of the only openspaces currently available for wildlifedispersal and movement from the park.Because of its close proximity to the city ofNairobi, the Park is currently facing serious

threats to its survival due to increasedurban pressure and developments that havereduced the land available for wildlifemovement and dispersal. The developmentof the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) inKitengela town results in land speculation,rapid land subdivision and the entry of urbantype development in the area. For example,the price of land in Kitengela has soared toabout US$10,000 per acre. More than 80percent of the communal land has been soldto urban immigrant buyers and an urbancenter has sprung up and grown to 70,000people. In the face of these threats, it hasbecome critical to secure land in Kitengela

for continual wildlifemovement anddispersal if the future ofthe park is to besafeguarded.

One critical piece of landin the area is a 3,000acre government-owned former sheepand goat ranch to thesouth of the park thatis important for wildlifedispersal andmovement. In order to

secure this area for conservation, AWF andpartners – Kenya Wildlife Service, TheWildlife Foundation and local communitiesagreed to create a conservation easementover the land. A conservation easement is

Land and Habitat Conservation in Africa:Conservation Easement in Kitengela

Nairobi National Park, becauseof its close proximity to the city,is facing serious threats to itssurvival.

Wildebeests and zebras migrateto and from Nairobi NationalPark.

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Hector Daniel Magome, a South African, wasawarded a fellowship in 1998 and studied fora PhD in Conservation Biology at the Universityof Kent, United Kingdom. His research lookedat community development and managementof protected areas in post-apartheid SouthAfrica and recommended a policy frameworkfor conservation and development. Today,Hector is the Executive Director ofConservation Services at the South AfricaNational Parks (SanParks). He is also in chargeof Transfrontier Conservation areas withinSanParks and is the Vice Chairman for WorldCommission for Protected Areas in southernAfrica. Previously, he served as the ChiefExecutive of Bophuthaswana Parks where he

is credited withd e v e l o p i n ga w a r d - w i n i n gc o m m u n i t yc o n s e r v a t i o nprograms thati m p r o v e ddevelopment inthe area. Hejoined SanParksas GeneralManager forPlanning andDevelopment in1996 and

oversaw the development of communityconservation programs and policies in SouthAfrica. Hector was the first black ecologist inapartheid South Africa and has now becomean outstanding leader in conservation in thenew South Africa.

Paula Kahumbu, a Kenyan, was awarded afellowship in 1996 and studied for a PhD inEcology and Evolutionary Biology at PrincetonUniversity in the USA. Her research looked atelephant interactions in Shimba Hills Forest inKenya. Today, Paula is the Director of LafargeEcosystems, a subsidiary of Bamburi CementCompany where she is managing their wildlife

farm and overseeing restoration ofwastelands, exhausted limestonequarries previously used for cementmining. This farm was in world news afterthe tsumani following the strangeadoption of a baby hippo by an oldtortoise. Previously, she also worked forthe Kenya Wildlife Service as a ScientificAdvisor where she led two delegationsfrom Kenya to the Convention of Trade inEndangered Species (CITES) meeting. Shehas also formed a local charity – theColobus Trust – to protect endangeredcolobus monkeys along the Kenyan coast.This was the first privately initiatedconservation effort on the south coast ofKenya.

Gladys Walubona Kalema Zikusoka, aUgandan, was awarded a fellowship in1999 and studied for a Masters degree inWildlife Zoological Medicine at theUniversity of North Carolina, USA. Herresearch looked at the prevalence oftuberculosis in African buffaloand cattle and their interfacewith humans in and aroundQueen Elizabeth and BwindiImpenetrable National Parks inUganda. This study clarified theinterface between public healthand animals and assisted increating protocols to guide theinteraction between humans,cattle and wildlife. Today, Gladysserves as the Chief ExecutiveOfficer of a local NGO,Conservation Through PublicHealth (CTPH) which she foundedto promote conservation and public healthby improving primary health care topeople and animals in and aroundprotected areas. Previously, she servedas the first ever veterinary officer for theUganda Wildlife Authority where shehelped create the first veterinary unit.

One of AWF's earliest goals was to build the capacity of Africans to manage their ownwildlife resources. Since its first project, the College of African Wildlife Management, Mweka,Tanzania, AWF has supported the education of hundreds of African wildlife managers andleaders.

Today, capacity building and leadership development remain an important part of AWF’swork. AWF knows that the long-term conservation of African wildlife depends on committedand trained African leaders, managers and scientists. The Charlotte Conservation FellowshipProgram, started in 1996, has become AWF’s main vehicle for capacity building and leadershipdevelopment in recent years. In the past 10 years, more than 45 fellows from throughoutAfrica have benefited from the fellowship and studied for higher level degrees in fieldsranging from ecology to conservation economics to community conservation. A few of theoutstanding Charlotte Fellows that are serving as key leaders in conservation in theircountries include:

Capacity Building and Leadership Development:The Charlotte Conservation Fellowship Program

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Eugène Rutagarama, a Rwandese, was awarded a fellowshipin 2002 and studied for a Masters degree in Applied Ecologyand Conservation at the University of East Anglia, UK. Hisresearch investigated adaptive partnerships for conservationin Rwanda. Eugène started his career as a junior officer inthe Rwanda national protected area service and rose tobecome a Deputy Director. He later joined the InternationalGorilla Conservation Program (IGCP) as Programme Managerand was instrumental in the continued conservation of highlyendangered mountain gorillas during the civil war in Rwandain the 1990s. In recognition of his efforts, Eugène won twointernational awards – the Getty Prize for WildlifeConservation in 1996 and the Goldman Environmental Prizein 2001. Today, he is the Director of IGCP and continues toplay a key role in the conservation of the mountain gorillas

in the Virunga region that includes the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.

Charlotte Fellows 2005/2006

Mozambique has paid a terrible price for its years of civil war, which ended in 1990. Thousandsof people were killed. Infrastructure and institutions were wiped out. Conservation effortscollapsed.

Today Mozambique is fully committed to rebuilding its conservation infrastructure. And AWFleads the list of partners who have offered to help – especially since our Limpopo andZambezi Heartlands cover key biodiversity areas of the country.

Above all else, Mozambique’s conservation efforts require a pool of trained professionals.So this past year, AWF awarded three Charlotte Fellowships to three Mozambican studentsto study for PhD degrees in conservation.

Valerio Macandza, a university lecturer, will study for a PhD in Wildlife Ecologyand Conservation at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa andwill research the impact of elephants in the Limpopo National Park inMozambique. This research will be critical to developing an elephantmanagement plan to re-establish conservation in the area.

Carlos Manuel Bento, a university lecturer and wetlandconservation specialist, will study for a PhD in Ecology at

the University of Pretoria in South Africa. His research will focus on ecology,distribution and genetics of Cape buffalo in Gorongosa-Zambezi Delta region.It should help to improve the conservation of the buffalo that was negativelyimpacted by both the war and the construction of Caborra Bassa Dam.

Bruno Nhancale, an NGO worker, will study for a PhD inBiodiversity Conservation Planning at the University ofKent in the United Kingdom. His research will focus on country-sideplanning using biological and socioeconomic factors and should beinstrumental in helping the government of Mozambique to identify,designate and revive protected areas.

In addition, AWF also awarded three Mozambican protected area officials with scholarshipsto attend the College of African Wildlife Management at Mweka, Tanzania. When they arefinished, these three professionals – Victor Guedes Rosario, Acacio Ntauma and Cassamo Bay –will be ideally placed to manage Mozambique’s new and emerging protected areas workfor the Ministry of Tourism in the Wildlife Department and will receive skills crucial for middle-level wildlife management at the protected area level in Mozambique.


AWF’s conservation enterprises are commercial venturesthat support conservation while providing economicbenefits to communities. Since the 1990s, AWF has beenat the forefront of using conservation enterprise in Africaas a tool for conservation. We have supported varioustourism-based and non-tourism-based enterprises suchas high-end ecolodges, campsites, fishing camps andcultural villages. Examples of AWF-supported enterprisesinclude Koija Starbeds in Kenya, Ololosokwan KleinsCamp in Tanzania, Kijabe Ecolodge in Kenya, ChezyaFishing Camp in Zimbabwe, and Olgulului Campsite inKenya. We have developed the tools and processesnecessary to support this complex area of our work. Whileit has not been easy, learning from our first-generationenterprise projects has provided us useful lessons onhow to structure these deals for optimal performanceand equity. In this edition, we share two powerfulexamples of conservation enterprises that we havedeveloped with communities in Africa.

The Kijabe Ecolodge, located in the Kijabe Group Ranch ofLaikipia District in northern Kenya, is a 16-bed high-endlodge catering for the discriminating traveler. AWF, withfunding from USAID, Ford Foundation, and the EU-TourismTrust Fund, has helped the local Maasai community buildthe lodge in an effort to preserve the dispersal area forwildlife moving between the private large scale ranches

of Laikipia andSamburu NationalReserve. After anextensive search, wehelped the communityenter a joint venturem a n a g e m e n tagreement with aprivate sector partnerfor the lodge. Under a15-year agreement,the private sector will

pay US$7,000 (rising to US$20,000 per year as communityannual fees), as well as bed night and conservation feeof US$30 per visitor. A conservation incentive fee ofUS$20,000 was also negotiated. AWF brokered theagreement between the private sector partner,Regenesis Ltd., and the Kijabe Trust.

AWF has also helped the community to develop a naturalresource management plan, setting aside 5,000 hectaresland. In addition to providing lots of wildlife viewing forguests, this conservation land links this area to a largercommunity system with neighboring group ranches. Wehave further helped them develop institutions toimplement the plan and manage the land they have zonedinto different uses. Once fully operational, the Ecolodgeis expected to generate revenue for the 3,400 membersof the local community.

Like many projects, this one was not without itschallenges. Disagreements with the initial operatorresulted in the shut-down of the project. Long-distancesmade it difficult to work with the contractor, leading to

Conservation Enterprise:Tourist Lodges Bring Benefits to Wildlife and Communities

delays in procurements. And, perhaps even morechallenging, was the difficulty in finding a private sectoroperator to manage the lodge. Many were toointimidated by the community politics, the location, andthe lack of steady water. But these challenges helpedAWF make adjustments and move forward withconstruction. The lodge will open for its doors for businessin December 2006, providing another powerful exampleof conservation enterprise in Kenya.

The Santawani Lodge is located in the world-famousOkavango delta in Botswana. When the expiration of aprivate lease led the government to deed the land andlodge to the local Sankuyo people, AWF helped thecommunity to rehabilitate the lodge. Because thecommunity wanted to manage the lodge themselves, wehelped to train thestaff and developedmarketing networksto bring in tourists.The lodge, completewith six new chaletsand a receptionarea, opened forbusiness in 2004.The communitymanages the lodgeand employs 12people. In 2004, it earned US$45,000 that was used forsocial and economic development to benefit 400households. Income from this lodge is helping improvelivelihoods of the community in an area where livelihoodoptions have been limited by harsh climate and strictveterinary controls. The lodge is also helping to conservean 8,900 hectare wildlife-management area whichprovides prime wildlife-viewing for lodge guests and is awildlife corridor and dispersal area for wildlife, such aselephants, lions, giraffe and buffalo, moving betweenMoremi Game Reserve and other parts of the Okavangodelta.

The main challenge facing the lodge is the low capacityof community institutions that have oversight over thelodge and could negatively affect the business as hasbeen the case in other parts of the Okavango. Theseinstitutions need continuous support and advice for themto effectively manage the lodge well into the future.There is also need to ensure that some revenue is setaside for capital investments to expand the lodge giventhat most of it is being channeled into pressing socialneeds in the community.

The Santawani Lodge offers a unique case of a successfulcommunity-managed lodge. However, any replicationefforts in other parts of Africa should be aware of thespecial circumstances that exist in Botswana that helpedmake it a success; namely, a supportive governmentpolicy on community-based conservation, advantageouslocation in a vibrant tourism circuit, and a healthy economythat can provide various support services to communitiesthat are non-existent in most of Africa today.

www.awf.org


The African Wildlife Foundation's African Heartland ProgramOur approach to achieving conservation impact inAfrica is to encourage our partners to join us infocusing on a limited number of high-priority, largeconservation landscapes that have the potential toconserve viable populations of African wildlife as wellas key habitats and ecological systems well into thefuture. We use an applied science-based planningprocess to determine conservation objectives andto make these areas both ecologically andeconomically successful. Recognizing Africa’s wildlifecannot be conserved everywhere, the great majorityof AWF’s resources and efforts are invested in theseHeartlands.

What is a Heartland?Heartlands are comprised of land units underdifferent management and ownership regimes—national parks, private land and community land—in a single ecosystem ranging in size from 7,000 km2

to 95,000 km2. Some Heartlands fall within a singlecountry; many extend across international bordersof two or more countries. AWF’s initial planninghorizon and commitment for work in a Heartland isfifteen years. Heartland program interventionsinclude: support for improved protected areamanagement; resource monitoring; participatoryland use planning; wildlife-based tourism enterprisedevelopment; securing local l ivelihoods andcommunity-owned businesses; capacity buildingwith local institutions; and enabling local leadershipof wildlife and natural resource management.

Selecting and Establishing HeartlandsWhen selecting Heartlands, AWF works carefully toidentify landscapes which have the most potentialfor effective and sustainable long-term conservation.Initially, AWF considers both regional and globalbiodiversity conservation priorities. Then, once apotential landscape is identified, AWF conducts adetailed analysis that looks at the biological,ecological, social and economic opportunities withinthe region. Once an area has been identified as aHeartland, we develop a detailed profile that includesthe biological, socio-economic, and institutionalattributes of the area, as well as identify key threatsto conservation targets and potential conservationstrategies that could be implemented. An area isofficially declared a Heartland when the resourcesneeded to implement an effective program aresecured.

Working in AWF’s HeartlandsIn each Heartland, AWF works closely with a widerange of partners and stakeholders (includingnational and local governments, communities,research organizations, other non-governmentalorganizations and the private sector) to developpriority interventions specific to the area. While eachHeartland’s strategy is unique, each Heartlandfocuses its work in the following strategic areas:land & habitat conservation; species conservation& applied research; conservation enterprise;capacity building & leadership development; andpolicy.

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© beverly joubert heartland news...wildlife and wild lands, they are more likely to help conserve...

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