Sustainable management of the Selous Game Reserve

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Tanzania has globally important ecosystems and wildlife populations and has accordingly placed large parts of the country under protection. The Selous Game Reserve (SGR) is one of the largest and most ecologically important protected areas in Africa and is home to a significant wealth of wildlife, some of which is threatened with extinction. At the same time, Tanzania's natural areas represent an important factor in the development of the Tanzanian tourism sector, which contributes around 10% to the country's GDP and plays a significant role in job creation at the national level. In the past 10 years, insufficient financial resources and equipment as well as a lack of staff have led to a drastic decline in management efficiency and the deterioration of the infrastructure in the SGR. In view of the increasing pressure on use due to increasingly professional poaching and the planning and partial implementation of mining and infrastructure measures that are harmful to the ecosystem, the ecological integrity and tourism potential of the protected area are at risk. The lack of participation of the population in the proceeds from resource use contributes to the further degradation of (wild) resources in the Selous ecosystem. The aim of the FZ measure is to contribute to the sustainable management and protection of the natural resources of the SGR and selected village use zones in the neighboring districts and thus to contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and the improvement of the living conditions of the neighboring population. Key components of the FZ measure include investments in the protected area management of the SGR as well as in its equipment and infrastructure, the promotion of so-called wildlife management areas in the peripheral zone and an improvement of the management systems. The priority target group of the project is the neighboring population of the SGR, in particular the districts of the Selous Niassa Corridor. The FZ financing share of the estimated total costs of the project of around EUR 19.3 million is EUR 18.0 million. The Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) will each contribute around EUR 0.66 million to the financing and support the project sponsor Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, MNRT in the implementation of measures for protected area management and sustainable resource use.