Tanzania is a country of much natural diversity that is exceptionally well endowed with natural resources of international significance. An array of varying ecosystems is present from savannas, forests, rivers, lakes, wetlands and a tropical coastline, all supporting a remarkable diversity and abundance of wildlife. Tanzania’s natural resources play a huge role in contributing to the economy in terms of the social and economic goods and services which they provide. Unfortunately, due to factors such as increasing human population numbers, poverty and infrastructure development, many of Tanzania’s natural resources and magnificent wonders are rapidly degrading and becoming isolated through various anthropogenic and biological threats. The lives of Tanzanians depend heavily on natural resources for both the present and future generations.

Unfortunately, the opportunities for establishing, maintaining or managing new conservation areas as protected areas in a sustainable manner and as a viable land use option, are rapidly diminishing. This is endangering the future for Tanzania in terms of the sustainable benefits that these areas do and can potentially provide if protected and managed optimally. Mawalla Trust and the PAMS Foundation believe that by addressing the situation proactively and positively, the otherwise dismal situation based on current trends can be turned around and have very significant beneficial implications for economic development including the sustainability of Tanzania’s tourist industry.

Apart from Tanzania’s well known existing conservation areas, there is a dearth of information available on the state of natural resources and the land on which they exist outside of the formally protected conservation areas. Thus, in order to help conserve Tanzania’s natural resources and allow for its utilisation in a sustainable and exemplary manner, it is vital that good baseline information is available and that this information is updated on a regular basis. This will not only help better guide conservation efforts to ensure the protection of important ecological areas and wildlife corridors that lie beyond existing formally protected areas, but also help identify areas suitable for conservation compatible activities (e.g. tourism operators). This will greatly assist in adding economic value to the natural resources and assist in the long term conservation thereof.

Mawalla Trust in association with the PAMS Foundation, have therefore begun with the process of a country wide assessment of Tanzania’s landscapes and its natural resources. The aim of the assessment is to identify large, intact areas of high biodiversity value outside of formally protected conservation areas, where critical natural processes can be protected so that they may persist and be maintained over the long term. The project will thus compile in one place and for the first time, a summary of current knowledge on the distribution and extent of the nation’s natural resource base outside of the National Parks, Game Reserves, Nature Reserves and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, to serve primarily as a useful reference. The document, or directory, will present the most up-to-date available information in a way that will be of value to all interested parties.

The project is being enhanced in terms of its global value and meaning through the inclusion of additional technical expertise that is available from some of the world’s leading international conservation organisations who share interests in Tanzania and in the protection and the sustainable utilisation of its natural resources.