The Sandhill Crane State: A Naturalist’s Guide to Nebraska

This book includes the locations, descriptions, and points of biological, historical, geological, or paleontological interest of nearly 350 sites in Nebraska, most of which are free to access. Its 53,000 words include accounts of 9 state historical parks, 8 state parks, 2 national forests, 2 national monuments, and 7 national wildlife refuges as well as 181 wildlife management areas, 56 waterfowl production areas, and 54 state recreation areas. It also includes 48 state and county maps, 18 drawings, 33 photographs, and nearly 200 literature citations.

Wildlife Management Areas in Tanzania: Vulnerability and Survival Amidst COVID-19

The establishment of Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) has been adopted as intervention to safeguard the wildlife and their habitats outside the core protected areas in Tanzania. Along with their conservation role, WMAs provide an opportunity for local communities to derive economic benefits from wildlife-based enterprises on their land. WMAs primarily rely on revenues generated from photographic and hunting tourism to support operational activities and create incentives for the local communities to conserve wildlife resources. The current global travel restrictions and lockdown caused by an outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic have reduced a vital funding source for WMAs. This, therefore, undermines the ability to manage the wildlife resources and reward communities for the opportunity cost of their land and other costs associated with coexisting with wildlife. This chapter examines the extent to which the decline of tourism revenues as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has affected WMAs as a framework for local communities to manage and benefit from wildlife. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews on five WMAs in Northern Tanzania that were purposively selected based on their ability to generate a significant amount of revenues from tourism. Findings show that the decline of tourism revenues triggers unprecedented adverse effects on the conservation of wildlife resources within WMAs. Livelihood of the local communities is also affected due to loss of employment opportunities and drop-off of tourism income obtained from the sales of local goods to the tourists and tourist hotels. We recommend the creation of local mechanisms for revenue acquisition that are more resilient to global shocks, diversifying revenue-generating options within WMAs, and putting in place the right funding model that would warrant WMAs sustainability.

Avifauna in Relation to Habitat Disturbance in Wildlife Management Areas of the Ruvuma Miombo Ecosystem, Southern Tanzania

Understanding of relative distribution of avifauna provides insights for the conservation and management of wildlife in the community managed areas. This study examined relative diversity, abundance, and distribution of avifauna in selected habitat types across five Wildlife Management Areas of the Ruvuma landscape in miombo vegetation, southern Tanzania. Five habitat types were surveyed during the study: farmland, swamps, riverine forest, dense and open woodland. Transect lines, mist-netting, and point count methods were used to document 156 species of birds in the study sites. Descriptive statistics and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to compare species richness and diversity across habitat types. We found differences in avifaunal species distribution in the study area whereby farmland had the highest abundance of avifauna species and lowest in the riverine forest. These results suggest that variations of avifauna species abundance, diversity, and distribution could be attributed by human activities across habitat types; due to the reason that habitats with less human encroachment had good species diversity and richness. Therefore, to improve avitourism and avoid local extinction of species, we urge for prompt action to mitigate species loss by creating awareness in the adjacent community through conservation education on the importance of protecting such biodiversity resources.

We Don't Know That We Have Been Left Behind: The Neoliberalization Of Conservation In The Burunge Wildlife Management Area, Northern Tanzania

Poverty alleviation policies in Tanzania are focused on market development and local economic transformations as primary contributors to the countrys growth. These policies are intertwined with government legislation creating Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) near protected areas which encourage local people to use village land for ecotourism activities which will add value to natural resources while providing local opportunities for expanded livelihood options. Actively promoted by international conservation NGOs, WMAs are marketed as a people-friendly way to protect wildlife while encouraging conservation-friendly livelihood strategies. This study uses qualitative ethnographic methods to determine the effects of the Burunge WMA in northern Tanzania on people living in nearby villages. Results indicate that the needs and priorities of local people were not adequately or equitably identified and that WMAs actually reregulate land and resources in a way that allows external stakeholders to gain control of village assets, exclude local people, and capitalize on newly available economic opportunities. Moreover, because WMAs merge economic and conservation objectives in a way that is consistent with both the global neoliberal framework and powerful Western images and beliefs about nature and consumption, the rhetoric regarding this newest form of community-based conservation has been transformed into an officially legislated truth that is difficult to challenge. Suggestions forcountering this discourse and for future research into the effectiveness of community-based conservation as a viable mechanism for environmental protection and economic development are offered.