Protecting Biodiverse Habitats
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.
Udzungwa forest protection:
Since 2017, STEP has facilitated monthly patrols of Uzungwa Scarp and Kilombero Nature Forest Reserves as well as Udzungwa Mountains National Park by teams of rangers and village game scouts in order to reduce threats to these incredibly biodiverse but under-resourced forests. Beginning in 2025, we are significantly scaling up these efforts under the Udzungwa Landscape Strategy, increasing the number and coverage of patrols, patrol staff, vehicles, equipment, and communications infrastructure.
-
6,350 km of foot patrols supported
-
3,372 snares removed
-
24 additional rangers recruited and fully supported since January 2025
Supporting community-led protection of MBOMIPA Wildlife Management Area:
MBOMIPA WMA is a community-owned conservation area that protects the southern bank of the Great Ruaha River and provides important habitat for elephants and large carnivores. Since 2018, we have supported village game scouts in protecting this area through routine foot and vehicle patrols, supporting response to human-wildlife conflict incidents, and lodging and follow-up of court cases. STEP also works to strengthen MBOMIPA’s governance and management to improve the WMA’s financial sustainability and ensure that the area delivers tangible benefits to its 21 member villages .
-
64,628 km of foot patrols supported
-
176 human-wildlife conflict incidents responded to by trained scouts
-
150 village leaders trained on roles, financial oversight, and stakeholder engagement
-
10 management tools developed, including Stakeholder Engagement Plan, HWC Strategy, and Business Enterprises Sustainability Tool
Aerial support to Ruaha-Rungwa:
The number of rangers in Ruaha-Rungwa falls below Tanzania’s national target of one ranger per 25 km² of protected area. As such, it is crucial to deploy limited ranger resources strategically and to enhance early threat detection and prevention. STEP operates a cost-effective light aircraft to monitor this vast landscape, enabling early identification of threats and the targeted deployment of rangers. Aerial patrols also provide valuable insights into the spatial and temporal trends of conservation threats that can inform patrol planning.
-
1,425 hours of aerial support provided
Building capacity and capability:
To support rangers in their work, STEP facilitates training in a range of skills, including bush walking, safety around dangerous wildlife, first aid, navigation, and use of conservation technology. A newer, growing aspect of our work aims to better support ranger mental health. We also facilitate training to ensure that village game scouts and rangers enforce conservation laws in a fair manner and that they act professionally, lawfully, and in compliance with human rights standards.
-
583 rangers and village game scouts trained
Equipment and infrastructure support:
To ensure that rangers are able to carry out their work safely and effectively, we provide essential equipment such as uniforms, camping gear, GPS units, first aid kits, and vehicles, and support with vehicle maintenance. We also assist protected areas with larger infrastructure projects, such as improving radio communications, construction of aircraft hangars, and rehabilitation of ranger posts.
-
61 rangers and 40 VGS equipped
-
3 vehicles provided to support ground patrols and human-wildlife conflict response
-
1 aircraft hangar built
Conservation
technology:
We empower our protected area partners through conservation technologies, including light aircraft for patrols, camera traps for wildlife monitoring, drones for monitoring, and customized vehicles and toolkits for human-wildlife conflict mitigation. We also support our partners to implement mobile data collection systems (Survey123 and EarthRanger) for real-time monitoring and response coordination, with EarthRanger currently operational in MBOMIPA Wildlife Management Area. We aim to expand EarthRanger to the three core protected areas in the Udzungwa Landscape to strengthen landscape-wide conservation efforts.
-
40 village game scouts using EarthRanger to
report on patrols and HWC response
