Updates from the field in Tanzania can be found in the latest quarterly report from the Ruaha Carnivore Project (RCP), covering October to December 2020.
RCP has been working hard to expand their community-based conservation work to Tanzania’s Selous ecosystem, which has not been without its challenges. Community distrust is a major obstacle when it comes to conserving carnivores, and RCP will have to build relationships in this new area. The Selous ecosystem is a very important area for painted wolves, and PWF is very excited to see RCP’s work roll out in this landscape.
RCP’s Human-Wildlife Conflict Manager for the Selous expansion is Stephano, who has a big job ahead. But his background gives him an advantage in engaging the community and building trust. Ten years ago, Stephano himself was one of the community members worried about how the project could work when RCP first started community work in Ruaha. He has seen first hand how coexisting with wildlife can directly benefit local people.
Bringing direct benefits to local communities that coexist with wildlife is at the heart of RCP’s work. Through their innovative Community Camera Trapping Programme, villagers are trained and employed to place camera traps on their land and receive points for the wild animals that are recorded. These points directly translate into additional education, healthcare, and veterinary benefits. This highlights that RCP doesn’t just directly give to the community, but rather the benefits come from the actual wildlife that is on village land.
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Communities receive more points for photos of threatened and conflict-prone species, with carnivores being the most highly valued. Endangered painted wolves are the carnivore that earns the most points, providing tangible incentives for villagers to coexist with them on their land!
Every three months, comparable villages compete against each other for varying amounts of money based on points earned. The latest competition in October saw Kisanga village winning in their area. The community decided to use the $2,000 award for improving the local health clinic and the primary school.
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