Mongabay · Climate & nature

Tanzania establishes its first official wildlife corridor for elephants

Tanzania has officially designated its first wildlife corridor, the Nyerere-Udzungwa Wildlife Corridor (NUWC), to facilitate the migration of African savanna elephants between Nyerere National Park and the Udzungwa Mountains National Park. This initiative aims to reduce human-wildlife conflict by providing a safe passage for elephants across the populated Kilombero Valley.

African savanna elephants in southern Tanzania are utilizing a newly designated wildlife corridor to migrate between Nyerere National Park and the Udzungwa Mountains National Park. This corridor, the first of its kind to receive official protection in Tanzania, spans the Kilombero Valley, an area previously converted to farmland, which had led to conflict between elephants and local communities.

The elephants, numbering up to 1,000, exhibit remarkable adaptability, navigating steep mountain slopes and rainforests in the Udzungwa Mountains, and migrating to the savanna woodlands of Nyerere National Park. This diverse habitat use is crucial for their survival, providing resources that vary with seasons, such as water and food like native bamboo found at high altitudes.

The establishment of the Nyerere-Udzungwa Wildlife Corridor, a process that took seven years, involved extensive collaboration between the Southern Tanzania Elephant Program (STEP), local landowners, and government officials. Local farmers designated parts of their land for the corridor and are co-managing it with the government. This effort aims to prevent elephants from entering crop fields and to maintain their ancestral migration routes.

The corridor, approximately 200 meters wide and 14 kilometers long, was created after compensating 368 landowners. Conservation efforts include installing fencing to guide elephants and planting native trees to restore the valley floor's habitat, mimicking the historical landscape and providing food sources for various species. Camera trap data indicates that over 1,440 mammals, including 529 elephants, have used the corridor in its initial months.

Despite progress, challenges remain. Elephants have shown hesitancy to use an underpass beneath a busy road, and planned developments like a petrol station, hotel, and bus station near the corridor pose potential threats. Strong community involvement in the corridor's management is seen as vital for ensuring compatible land use and the corridor's long-term sustainability. Experts emphasize the urgency of securing such corridors across Tanzania to protect elephant populations, which have declined significantly due to poaching and habitat loss.

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