1.
International Union for Conservation of Nature
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The International Union for Conservation of Nature is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It is involved in gathering and analysis, research, field projects, advocacy, lobbying. IUCNs mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature and to ensure that any use of resources is equitable. Over the past decades, IUCN has widened its focus beyond conservation ecology and now incorporates issues related to equality, poverty alleviation. Unlike other international NGOs, IUCN does not itself aim to mobilize the public in support of nature conservation and it tries to influence the actions of governments, business and other stakeholders by providing information and advice, and through lobbying and partnerships. The organization is best known to the public for compiling and publishing the IUCN Red List. IUCN has a membership of over 1200 governmental and non-governmental organizations, some 11,000 scientists and experts participate in the work of IUCN commissions on a voluntary basis. It employs approximately 1000 full-time staff in more than 60 countries and its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland. IUCN has observer and consultative status at the United Nations, and plays a role in the implementation of several conventions on nature conservation. It was involved in establishing the World Wide Fund for Nature, in the past, IUCN has been criticized for placing the interests of nature over those of indigenous peoples. In recent years, its relations with the business sector have caused controversy. It was previously called the International Union for Protection of Nature, establishment In 1947, the Swiss League for the Protection of Nature organised an international conference on the protection of nature in Brunnen. It is considered to be the first government-organized non-governmental organization, the initiative to set up the new organisation came from UNESCO and especially from its first Director General, the British biologist Julian Huxley. At the time of its founding IUPN was the international organisation focusing on the entire spectrum of nature conservation Early years. Its secretariat was located in Brussels and its first work program focused on saving species and habitats, increasing and applying knowledge, advancing education, promoting international agreements and promoting conservation. Providing a solid base for conservation action was the heart of all activities. IUPN and UNESCO were closely associated and they jointly organized the 1949 Conference on Protection of Nature. In preparation for this conference a list of endangered species was drawn up for the first time
2.
National park
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A national park is a park in use for conservation purposes. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns, although individual nations designate their own national parks differently, there is a common idea, the conservation of wild nature for posterity and as a symbol of national pride. An international organization, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, although Yellowstone was not officially termed a national park in its establishing law, it was always termed such in practice and is widely held to be the first and oldest national park in the world. The first area to use national park in its legislation was the USs Mackinac Island. Australias Royal National Park, established in 1879, was the third official national park. In 1895 ownership of Mackinac Island was transferred to the State of Michigan as a state park, as a result, Australias Royal National Park is by some considerations the second oldest national park now in existence. The largest national park in the meeting the IUCN definition is the Northeast Greenland National Park. According to the IUCN,6,555 national parks worldwide met its criteria in 2006, IUCN is still discussing the parameters of defining a national park. National parks are almost always open to visitors, in 1971, these criteria were further expanded upon leading to more clear and defined benchmarks to evaluate a national park. In 1810, the English poet William Wordsworth described the Lake District as a sort of property, in which every man has a right and interest who has an eye to perceive. It was known as Hot Springs Reservation, but no authority was established. Federal control of the area was not clearly established until 1877, John Muir is today referred to as the Father of the National Parks due to his work in Yosemite. He published two articles in The Century Magazine, which formed the base for the subsequent legislation. President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress on July 1,1864, ceding the Yosemite Valley, according to this bill, private ownership of the land in this area was no longer possible. The state of California was designated to manage the park for use, resort. Leases were permitted for up to ten years and the proceeds were to be used for conservation, a public discussion followed this first legislation of its kind and there was a heated debate over whether the government had the right to create parks. The perceived mismanagement of Yosemite by the Californian state was the reason why Yellowstone at its establishment six years later was put under national control, in 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established as the United States first national park, being also the worlds first national park. In some European countries, however, national protection and nature reserves already existed, such as Drachenfels, Yellowstone was part of a federally governed territory
3.
Tanzania
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Tanzania /ˌtænzəˈniːə/, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in Eastern Africa within the African Great Lakes region. Parts of the country are in Southern Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro, Africas highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania. Tanzanias population of 51.82 million is diverse, composed of ethnic, linguistic. Dar es Salaam, the capital, retains most government offices and is the countrys largest city, principal port. Tanzania is a one party dominant state with the Chama Cha Mapinduzi party in power, from its formation until 1992, it was the only legally permitted party in the country. Elections for president and all National Assembly seats were last held in October 2015, the CCM holds approximately 75% of the seats in the assembly. Prehistoric population migrations include Southern Cushitic speakers, who are ancestral to the Iraqw, Gorowa, and Burunge and who moved south from Ethiopia into Tanzania. Based on linguistic evidence, there may also have two movements into Tanzania of Eastern Cushitic people at about 4,000 and 2,000 years ago. These movements took place at about the time as the settlement of the iron-making Mashariki Bantu from West Africa in the Lake Victoria. They brought with them the west African planting tradition and the staple of yams. They subsequently migrated out of these regions across the rest of Tanzania, European colonialism began in mainland Tanzania during the late 19th century when Germany formed German East Africa, which gave way to British rule following World War I. The mainland was governed as Tanganyika, with the Zanzibar Archipelago remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction, following their respective independence in 1961 and 1963, the two entities merged in April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the northeast, where Mount Kilimanjaro is located, three of Africas Great Lakes are partly within Tanzania. To the north and west lie Lake Victoria, Africas largest lake, and Lake Tanganyika, the eastern shore is hot and humid, with the Zanzibar Archipelago just offshore. The Menai Bay Conservation Area is Zanzibars largest marine protected area, over 100 different languages are spoken in Tanzania, making it the most linguistically diverse country in East Africa. Among the languages spoken in Tanzania are all four of Africas language families, Bantu, Cushitic, Nilotic, Swahili and English are Tanzanias official languages. In connection with his Ujamaa social policies, President Nyerere encouraged the use of Swahili, approximately 10% of Tanzanians speak Swahili as a first language, and up to 90% speak it as a second language. Most Tanzanians thus speak both Swahili and a language, many educated Tanzanians are trilingual, also speaking English
4.
Mwanza
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Mwanza is a mid-sized port city on the southern shores of Lake Victoria in northwestern Tanzania. With a population of over 700,000, it is Tanzanias second largest city, Mwanza is the capital of the surrounding Mwanza Region. The Sukuma constitute over 90 percent of the population of the Mwanza Region, other ethnic groups in the region, in much smaller proportions, include the Zinza, Haya, Sumbwa, Nyamwezi, Luo, Kurya, Jita, and Kerewe. They live mainly in the Mwanza city area, National policy, however, gives very little importance to ethnic groupings and reliable data is difficult to find. In 2011 the city announced plans to create a major commercial development in the Ilemela District. Construction works on Rock City Mall were finalized in early 2016 and this mall is the first of its size in Mwanza and one of the biggest malls in the country. One major occupation of the inhabitants along the shores of Lake Victoria in Mwanza region is fishing, nile perch were previously introduced to the lake, and are exported in large quantities. The consequences of the nile perch industry are the subject of the Academy Award nominated documentary Darwins Nightmare by Hubert Sauper, on the lake around Mwanza, a lot of sardine fishing takes place. Several Tanzanian National Parks are located in the vicinity of Mwanza town. Saanane Island National Park can be reached by boat from the centre of Mwanza in around 10 minutes, the western most gate of Serengeti National Park is located at around 150 kilometres by road from Mwanza town. Day trips to Serengeti National Park are organised by several operators in Mwanza. Rubondo Island National Park can be reached by road and boat and it is located around 110 kilometres west of Mwanza town. The Sukuma Museum is located in Bujora, just east of Mwanza and it gives an overview of the history, architecture, culture and language of the Sukuma tribe, which is the main tribe in the area. Mwanza is served by Mwanza Airport, which is located at 10 km to the north of the city centre in Ilemela District, the airport has flights to Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, and other destinations around Tanzania. Mwanzas railway station is located in the centre of town, in Nyamagana District, the city is connected by rail with Shinyanga. Twice a week the train departs to Dar es Salaam, via Dodoma, Tabora, two bus stations connect Mwanza to the rest of Tanzania and neighbouring countries by road, Nyegezi and Buzuruga bus station. Nyegezi bus station is located in Nyamagana district, buses going to the south and west leave from Nyegezi, as well as international services. Buzuruga bus station is located in Ilemela district, buses going to the east, North and the Kenyan border depart from Buzuruga bus station
5.
Tanzania National Parks Authority
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The Tanzania National Parks Authority commonly known as TANAPA is responsible for the management of Tanzanias national parks. TANAPA is a corporation and all its income is reinvested into the organization. It is governed by a number of instruments including the National Parks Act, Chapter 282 of the 2002 and the Wildlife Conservation Act No.5 of 2009. TANAPA manages the nations 17 National parks which cover ~15% of the area and has the mandate to conserve and manage wildlife in Tanzania. It manages the biodiversity of the country, protecting and conserving the flora, currently TANAPA is governed by the National Parks Ordinance Chapter 282 of the 2002 and manages 17 national parks. TANAPA manages 17 national parks covering an area of 57,024 km2 approximately the area of Croatia. TANAPA is responsible for the parks, TANAPAs main source of revenue is sourced from tourist arrivals. TANAPA in collaboration with the Tanzania Tourist Board markets the national parks locally and internationally to attract visitors, TANAPA has also been mandated to promote domestic tourism. It is TANAPAs first and foremost goal to protect the wildlife and natural living in the park. The organization has received donations of vehicles and aircraft to help train rangers with modern technology. TANAPA also pays to maintain the facilities for tourists and conservation activities such as Roads, Gates, Boundaries. TANAPA currently manages 26 airstrips throughout its network of national parks, often forest fires break out in the parks and it is under TANAPAs mandate to put them out. List of protected areas of Tanzania Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute Official Website
6.
Lake Victoria
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Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named after Queen Victoria by the explorer John Hanning Speke, Speke accomplished this in 1858, while on an expedition with Richard Francis Burton to locate the source of the Nile River. In terms of volume, Lake Victoria is the ninth largest continental lake. Lake Victoria receives its water primarily from rainfall and thousands of small streams. The Kagera River is the largest river flowing into this lake, Lake Victoria is drained solely by the Nile River near Jinja, Uganda, on the lakes northern shore. Lake Victoria occupies a depression in Africa. The lake has a depth of 84 metres and an average depth of 40 metres. Its catchment area covers 184,000 square kilometres, geologically, Lake Victoria is relatively young – about 400,000 years old – and it formed when westward-flowing rivers were dammed by an upthrown crustal block. During its geological history, Lake Victoria went through changes ranging from its present shallow depression, geological cores taken from its bottom show Lake Victoria has dried up completely at least three times since it formed. These drying cycles are probably related to past ice ages, which were times when precipitation declined globally, Lake Victoria last dried out about 17,300 years ago, and it refilled 14,700 years ago. Lake Victoria receives 80 percent of its water from direct rainfall, average evaporation on the lake is between 2.0 and 2.2 metres per year, almost double the precipitation of riparian areas. In the Kenya sector, the main influent rivers are the Sio, Nzoia, Yala, Nyando, Sondu Miriu, Mogusi, combined, these rivers contribute far more water to the lake than does the largest single river entering the lake from the west, the Kagera River. The only outflow from Lake Victoria is the Nile River, which exits the lake near Jinja, in terms of contributed water, this makes Lake Victoria the principal source of the longest branch of the Nile. The uppermost section of the Nile is generally known as the Victoria Nile until it reaches Lake Albert, in 1990–1991, oxygen concentrations in the mixed layer were higher than in 1960–1961, with nearly continuous oxygen supersaturation in surface waters. The changes in oxygenation are considered consistent with measurements of higher algal biomass, the extinction of cichlids in the genus Haplochromis has also been blamed on the lakes eutrophication. The fertility of tropical waters depends on the rate at which nutrients can be brought into solution, the influent rivers of Lake Victoria provide few nutrients to the lake in relation to its size. Because of this, most of Lake Victorias nutrients are thought to be locked up in lake-bottom deposits, by itself, this vegetative matter decays slowly. Animal flesh decays considerably faster, however, so the fertility of the lake is dependent on the rate at which nutrients can be taken up by fish
7.
Arusha National Park
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Arusha National Park covers Mount Meru, a prominent volcano with an elevation of 4566 m, in the Arusha Region of north eastern Tanzania. The park is small but varied with landscapes in three distinct areas. In the west, the Meru Crater funnels the Jekukumia River, ngurdoto Crater in the south-east is grassland. The shallow alkaline Momella Lakes in the north-east have varying colours and are known for their wading birds. Mount Meru is the second highest peak in Tanzania after Mount Kilimanjaro, Arusha National Park lies on a 300-kilometre axis of Africas most famous national parks, running from Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in the west to Kilimanjaro National Park in the east. The park is just a few kilometres north east of Arusha and it is also 58 km from Moshi and 35 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport. Arusha National Park has a variety of wildlife, but visitors shouldnt expect the same game-viewing experience they find in other national parks of Tanzanias northern circuit. Leopard populations are present, but rarely seen, Tanzania Parks Field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of Arusha National Park
8.
Gombe Stream National Park
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Gombe Stream National Park is located in western Kigoma Region, Tanzania,10 miles north of Kigoma, the capital of Kigoma Region. Established in 1968, Gombe is the smallest national park in Tanzania, the terrain is distinguished by steep valleys, and the forest vegetation ranges from grassland to alpine bamboo to tropical rainforest. Accessible only by boat, the park is most famous as the location where Jane Goodall pioneered her behavioral research conducted on the chimpanzee populations, the Kasakela chimpanzee community, featured in several books and documentaries, lives in Gombe Stream National Park. Gombe Stream’s high levels of diversity make it a popular tourist destination. Besides chimpanzees, primates inhabiting Gombe Stream include beachcomber olive baboons, red colobus, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys and blue monkeys have also been known to hybridize in the area. The park is home to over 200 bird species and bushpigs. There are also 11 species of snakes, and occasional hippopotami, visitors to the park can trek into the forest to view the chimpanzees, as well as swim and snorkel in Lake Tanganyika with almost 100 kinds of colorful cichlid fish. Jane Goodall first traveled to Tanzania in 1960 at the age of 26 with no formal college training, at the time, it was accepted that humans were undoubtedly similar to chimpanzees—we share over 98% of the same genetic code. However, little was known about behavior or community structure. At the time she began her research, she says “it was not permissible, at least not in ethological circles, nor was it quite proper to talk about animal personality. Of course everyone knew that they did have their own unique characters--everyone who had owned a dog or other pet was aware of that. But ethologists, striving to make theirs a hard science, shied away from the task of trying to explain such things objectively. ”However, her research eventually proved just that—the intellectual and emotional sophistication of non-humans, chimpanzees in particular. With the support of renowned anthropologist Louis Leakey, Goodall set up a research station in Gombe Stream in hopes of learning more about the behavior of our closest relatives. Without college training directing her research, Goodall observed things that strict scientific doctrines may have overlooked and she found that it isn’t only human beings who have personality, who are capable of rational thought emotions like joy and sorrow. She also observed behaviors such as hugs, kisses, pats on the back, and even tickling, what people consider identifiable human actions. ”These findings suggest similarities between humans and chimpanzees exist in more than genes alone, but can be seen in emotion, intelligence, and family and social relationships. The chimps would also take twigs from trees and strip off the leaves to make the more effective. Humans had long distinguished ourselves from the rest of the kingdom as “Man the Toolmaker”. In response to Goodall’s revolutionary findings, Louis Leakey wrote, “We must now redefine man, redefine tool, in contrast to the peaceful and affectionate behaviors she observed, Goodall also found an aggressive side of chimp nature at Gombe Stream
9.
Katavi National Park
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Katavi National Park is a Tanzanian national park created in 1974 and is located in Katavi Region, Tanzania. It is a remote park that is less frequently visited than other Tanzanian national parks. The park is approximately 4,471 square kilometers in area, the park encompasses the Katuma River and the seasonal Lake Katavi and Lake Chada floodplains. Carnivorous animals that roam this park are cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas, leopards, some sources claim a very high biodiversity in the park, although there are also reports of wildlife decline due to illegal hunting and poaching, presumably bushmeat sustenance. Katavi has fewer human visitors and jeeps conducting game drives than other Tanzania parks, a survey of the actual rooms sold by the available Safari style accommodations might reveal the number, but based on total room count and season length, an upper limit can also be estimated. These camps each have a capacity limit of approximately one dozen each. There are also seasonal camp runs by Flycatcher Safaris and the Palahala Camp, getting to Katavi for visitors will likely be arranged by the hosting camp, with one of the available charter flight services being Safari Air Link. Alternatively, Auric Air operates scheduled flights into Katavi National Park, all flights will require landing on a dirt airstrip, the Ikuu airstrip has minimal services. It is very approximately a three-hour flight from Katavi to Dar es Salaam and two-hours flight to Mwanza via a small, a flight to Arusha is similarly ~3 hours distant. Access to Katavi via ground transportation, estimates vary widely, it is generally discussed not in hours, the town of Mbeya is distant and is described as a. tough but spectacular. Drive, Google Maps indicates that Mbeya is 838 km from Dar es Salaam, making the distance approximately 1,400 km. The most direct route to Dar es Salaam as per Google Maps is approx,1250 km and requiring 16+ hours. Arusha is similarly distant, 1000+km /13.5 hours, the percentage of transit on unpaved surfaces is unknown, but parts of all of these routes will definitely be on dirt roads. Since all of the times from Google Maps assume an average transit speed of 80 km. Katavi National Park Website Personal Website with photos from Katavi
10.
Lake Manyara National Park
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Lake Manyara National Park is a Tanzanian national park located both in Arusha Region and Manyara Region, Tanzania. The two administrative regions have no jurisdiction over the parks, the park is governed by the Tanzania National Parks Authority. The majority of the area of the park is a narrow strip running between the Gregory Rift wall to the west and Lake Manyara, an alkaline or soda-lake. The park consists of 330 km2 of arid land, forest, Lake Manyara National Park is known for the flamingos that inhabit the lake. During the wet season they inhabit the edges of the lake in flocks of thousands, more than 400 species of birds inhabit the park and many remain throughout the year. Because of this Lake Manyara National Park is a spot for bird watching. Visitors to the park can expect to see upwards of 100 different species of bird on any day, There is a hippo pond at one end of the park where visitors can get out of their cars and observe from a safe distance. The leopards and lions are known to lounge in the trees while not hunting for prey. Lake Manyara National Park is located 126 km south west of Arusha and can be reached by car in an hour, the park can also be reached easily from Babati the capital of Manyara Region. The park is very close to Tarangire National Park There is also an airport, Lake Manyara Airport
11.
Rubondo Island National Park
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Rubondo Island National Park is one of two Tanzanian National Parks located on an island in Lake Victoria. The island attracts a number of visitors each year, mainly game fishermen. Rubondo Island is located in the corner of Lake Victoria, Tanzania. Rubondo Island is about 150 km west of Mwanza, the main island, Rubondo is 237 km2 in size. The island protects another 11 islets, none larger than 2 km2. These 10 islands form the Rubondo Island National Park covering an area of 456.8 km2, Lake Victoria is 1,134 metres above sea level. The highest point on Rubondo is the Masa Hills in the far south, at an elevation of 1, the main island measures 28 km from north to south and is 3–10 km wide. Rubondo Island is on a rift in the lake, Rubondo essentially consists of a partially submerged rift of four volcanically formed hills, linked by three flatter isthmuses. The island has no rivers and the soil is volcanic, the forest is interspersed with patches of open grassland and, all but restricted to the Lukaya area, acacia woodland. The eastern lakeshore is characterised by areas and sandy beaches whilst the western shore supports extensive papyrus swamps. There is a rainfall distribution, with peaks in December. The annual temperature is 19–26 0C, Rubondo Island became a game reserve in 1965, to provide a sanctuary for animals. Rubondo Island was gazetted as a park in 1977. Consequently, 80% of the island remains forested today, the 400 “fisher folk” of the Zinza tribe, who lived on the island and maintained banana plantations, were resettled on neighbouring islands and onto the mainland by the government in the late 1960s. As a rule the court passed sentences of six weeks imprisonment for unauthorised landings on the island, over a four-year period Professor Bernhard Grzimek of the Frankfurt Zoological Society released 17 chimpanzees in four cohorts onto Rubondo Island. The first cohort of chimpanzees arrived in Dar es Salaam aboard the German African Line’s steamship Eibe Oldendorff on 17 June 1966, the animals had no rehabilitation or pre-release training. The chimpanzees were all wild-born and purportedly of West African descent, the founder chimpanzees had spent varying periods, from 3.5 months to 9 years, in captivity in European zoos or circuses before their release. The chimpanzees after one year were able to find and eat foods and construct nests for sleeping
12.
Serengeti National Park
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The Serengeti National Park is a Tanzanian national park in the Serengeti ecosystem in the Mara and Simiyu regions. It is famous for its annual migration of over 1.5 million white-bearded wildebeest and 250,000 zebra and for its numerous Nile crocodile and honey badger. The name Serengeti is an approximation of the used by the Maasai to describe the area, siringet. The first American to enter the Serengeti, Stewart Edward White and he returned to the Serengeti in the 1920s and camped in the area around Seronera for three months. During this time, he and his companions shot 50 lions, because the hunting of lions made them scarce, the British colonial administration made a partial game reserve of 800 acres in the area in 1921 and a full one in 1929. These actions were the basis for Serengeti National Park, which was established in 1951, the Serengeti gained more fame after the initial work of Bernhard Grzimek and his son Michael in the 1950s. Together, they produced the book and film Serengeti Shall Not Die, to preserve wildlife, the British evicted the resident Maasai from the park in 1959 and moved them to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. There is still controversy surrounding this move, with claims made of coercion. It has over 2,500 lions and more than 1 million wildebeest, the park covers 14,750 square kilometres of grassland plains, savanna, riverine forest, and woodlands. The park lies in northwestern Tanzania, bordered to the north by the Kenyan border, together, these areas form the larger Serengeti ecosystem. The park is described as divided into three regions- Serengeti plains, the almost treeless grassland of the south is the most emblematic scenery of the park. This is where the wildebeest breed, as remain in the plains from December to May. Other hoofed animals - zebra, gazelle, impala, hartebeest, topi, buffalo, kopjes are granite florations that are very common in the region, and they are great observation posts for predators, as well as a refuge for hyrax and pythons. Western corridor, the clay soil covers the savannah of this region. The Grumeti River and its gallery forests is home to Nile crocodiles, patas monkeys, hippopotamus, the migration passes through from May to July. Northern Serengeti, the landscape is dominated by open woodlands and hills, apart from the migratory wildebeest and zebra, this is the best place to find elephant, giraffe, and dik dik. The main settlement is Seronera, which houses the majority of research staff, the park is worldwide known for its incredible scenery and magnificent wildlife. Some of the most popular animals among tourists include, Masai lion, more than 3,000 lions live in this ecosystem
