A Lifeline for Africa's National Parks

Forty years ago, Tarangire was a game area in Tanzania used by hunters. In 1969, AWF played a crucial role in establishing the new Tarangire National Park by supporting construction of the headquarters building and the rangers' antipoaching lookout stations.

Today, Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks are the core conservation areas of the large and varied landscape that is AWF's Maasai-Steppe Heartland.

AWF has been an invaluable partner to many African national parks. In its early years, AWF funded land acquisition and infrastructure for new reserves. In 1965, for example, the AWF Board approved a grant for developing the newly gazetted Ruaha National Park in Tanzania. In 1969 the organization contributed funds to purchase land to complete Arusha National Park and to construct a headquarters building on the edge of the park. In the meantime, AWF had received a large gift to create the Shimba Hills National Reserve near Mombasa, and AWF also was an early supporter of a national park on the eastern shores of Lake Rudolph, now Lake Turkana.

AWF traditionally has helped parks and reserves protect wildlife living within their boundaries and has also assisted the people who are charged with protecting wildlife. Over the years, the organization has supplied essential items such as communications and photography equipment, vehicle spare parts, battery chargers, tents, sleeping bags and camping equipment, ranger uniforms and boots, fuel, motor oil and new vehicles.

Joining with other conservation organizations in 1987 to fight poaching in the 32,000-square-mile Selous Game Reserve, AWF not only supplied field radio units to improve communications throughout the area, but also provided a master vehicle mechanic and large inventory of spare parts to support the antipoaching force.

The Maasai-Steppe Heartland is an excellent illustration of AWF's continuing commitment to Africa's parks. At approximately 15,000 square miles, this Heartland covers 10 times the combined area of the two national parks' in order to cover the migratory routes of elephants and other large mammals and is a patchwork of protected areas plus private and community lands. To help wildlife thrive and people prosper, AWF is working with Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), Maasai communities and other individuals and businesses to manage this diverse area as a single, coordinated unit.

Last year brought a major victory for conservation: establishment of the Tanzania Land Conservation Trust by AWF and partners. The first institution of its kind in Tanzania, the trust is expected to become a regional model. AWF designed the trust so that it could secure the wildlife corridor between the two parks. Following Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa's decision that the government-owned Manyara Ranch would be used to benefit the Maasai and to preserve this critical migration corridor, the ranch was turned over to the Trust with a 99-year lease.