NO 45 : HELPING PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE COEXIST

WWF works with local communities, governments and industry to create awareness and appreciation for the connection between nature and people. We assist local communities in securing management rights to their local wildlife and fisheries. We work on sustainable use of natural resources, such as certified timber or fisheries, which also creates incentives for conservation. WWF strives to ensure that local people benefit from economic opportunities that come with new tourism enterprises.

In Tanzania, WWF works with partners to help improve lives and protect wildlife through the creation of Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs)—communal lands where local communities participate in the management of wildlife and resources. WMAs create opportunities for wildlife tourism, which directly benefits local communities through jobs and revenue. For example, men from local villages are now employed as game scouts, patrolling for poachers over hundreds of miles, often on foot. This protection of wildlife creates a strong and sustainable incentive for conservation. WWF’s goal is to have over 31 million acres of land in Tanzania managed in this way, which will help wildlife migration outside of protected areas.

HELPING PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE COEXIST

WWF strives to develop practical solutions to address the conflict that frequently occurs between people and wildlife. In and around Quirimbas National Park in northern Mozambique, we have worked with farmers to minimize physical confrontation with elephants, protect crop fields and save lives. The use of deterrents—noise or chili peppers—has resulted in a dramatic reduction of conflicts and crop field destruction.

IMPROVING FARMING
WWF works with farmers to develop climate “smart” solutions that conserve natural resources and protect wildlife habitats, while improving local food security and incomes. We encourage the use of drought resistant and high yield crops—such as maize and beans—and distribute improved seed varieties. We work with famers to improve soil fertility, resulting in greater yield on less land. This also leaves more habitat for wildlife and keeps farms close to home.
To provide further sources of income—and also serve as markers for property boundaries—WWF helped incorporate citrus trees. We also introduced a new program of raising goats and offered improved husbandry techniques to reduce the animals’ impact on vegetation and crops.

INCREASING SUSTAINABLE FISHING

Women gathering sand oysters in Mozambique.
Approximately 55,000 people live in or around the Quirimbas marine reserve off the coast of Mozambique. Nearly all of them rely directly on its marine resources for their livelihoods. Villagers found that the small no-take zones that allowed fish stocks to rebound also produced an abundance of oysters. WWF and partners have helped fishermen create a sustainable oyster harvesting system, resulting in increased profits and yield.

Tweet