Programs

STEP runs four interconnected programs that aim to conserve south-central Tanzania’s biodiversity by strengthening protected area management and supporting the wellbeing of surrounding communities.

Coexistence and Livelihoods

Building a thriving future where people and wildlife coexist

Protecting Biodiverse Habitats

Securing globally-important conservation areas and protecting threatened species

Restoring

Wildlife Corridors

Protecting and restoring ecological links between conservation areas

Research, Monitoring and Learning

Ensuring our work is evidence-led

Udzungwa Landscape

Strategy

A partnership and strategy for the long-term conservation of the Udzungwa mountains

Coexistence and Livelihoods

We conserve landscapes and threatened species by ensuring that environmental stewardship provides tangible benefits and supports community livelihoods and wellbeing. We also support communities and government institutions in effective management of human-wildlife conflict, a significant challenge for people living near protected areas.

Enhancing livelihoods and resilience:

Expanding access to safe, reliable credit and sustainable income opportunities

81 community savings and loans groups formed
1,825 community members benefiting

Conservation performance payments:

Providing tangible benefits for environmental stewardship

CPPs piloted in 3 villages

Reducing human-elephant conflict:

Helping farmers protect their crops from elephant damage

>8 km of crop protection fences installed
30 elephant-proof food stores constructed

Education and outreach:

Fostering environmental stewardship and promoting community tolerance for wildlife

>250,000 people reached through school education, park visits, awareness events

Protected areas are vital for conserving Tanzania’s unique biodiversity. We collaborate with Tanzanian government agencies and communities to ensure these areas are well-managed and well-protected havens of biodiversity that have the support of the communities living around them.

Protecting Biodiverse
Habitats

Building capacity and capability: training and equipping rangers, village game scouts, and managers to conduct their work effectively, safely, and ethically

583 rangers and village game scouts trained

Patrol support: facilitating routine patrols by rangers and village game scouts to address and prevent threats to wildlife and habitats

70,000 km of foot patrols supported

Aerial support: operating a cost-effective light aircraft for early threat detection and strategic deployment of rangers and village game scouts

1,425 hours of aerial support

Conservation technology: implementing technology for improved monitoring and adaptive conservation management

36 village game scouts using EarthRanger to report on patrols

Restoring Wildlife Corridors

Conserving corridors between protected areas is important for maintaining connectivity and reducing human-wildlife conflict. In collaboration with the Tanzanian government, we are leading efforts to secure and restore one of the country’s first wildlife corridors, reconnecting the Udzungwa and Nyerere-Selous ecosystems.

Community-led protection and outreach: facilitating village game scouts to protect the corridor according to village by-laws, and lead community outreach

5,048 km of patrols supported

Corridor governance: supporting the corridor management committee to effectively govern the corridor

10 meetings and 4 site visits of the committee facilitated

Infrastructure: fencing and crossings to keep wildlife and people safe

1st elephant underpass of Tanzania constructed

Habitat restoration: Collaborating with our partner Reforest Africa to restore native habitat within the corridor

60,000 tree seedlings planted

Research, Monitoring
and Learning

To ensure our work is evidence-led, we conduct research into applied conservation questions and rigorously monitor and evaluate the impact of all our activities. We also strengthen local capacity for scientific monitoring and collaborate with researchers from Tanzanian and international institutions.

Human-elephant conflict: understanding drivers of human-elephant interactions and community perceptions of elephants, and developing and evaluating solutions to human-elephant conflict

6 different elephant deterrent methods trialled

Elephant demography and ecology: long-term study of how elephants are impacted by and recover from poaching in Ruaha National Park

>200 elephant family groups identified
>400 bulls identified

Wildlife corridors: monitoring the impact of corridor restoration on connectivity for elephants and other wildlife and human-elephant conflict

42 camera trap stations in the corridor

Advising on national and regional policy and strategies: including wildlife corridor regulations, elephant management plans, human-wildlife conflict strategies, and protected area management

Led development of 1st National
Human-Wildlife Conflict Management Strategy

Udzungwa Landscape Strategy

South-central Tanzania’s Udzungwa mountains are renowned for their exceptional biodiversity. STEP is part of a coalition of partners implementing the Udzungwa Landscape Strategy, a collaborative effort to protect this unique ecosystem. The strategy focuses on the Udzungwa’s three core protected areas and 71 adjacent villages.

Strategic Objective 1:

Enhance the capacity and efficacy of protected areas.

Strategic Objective 2:

Improve the wellbeing and livelihoods of communities in ways that reinforce their stewardship of forests

Strategic Objective 3:

Strengthen relations between communities and protected areas, as well as collaborations among other stakeholders in the landscape; and ensure strong governance of the ULS.

Strategic Objective 4:

Develop a comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Process to systematically improve the strategy.