Description
Protected areas in Tanzania, while plentiful, are not routinely monitored. So, little insight into the areas? successes or failures in the meeting of their goals for animal population maintenance is produced. This study assessed the conservation efforts of protected areas in the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem through the monitoring of population densities of five species: elephant (Loxodonta africana), giraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi), zebra (Equus quagga), wildebeest (Connochaetes), impala (Aepyceros melampus). We drove terrestrial line transects seasonally- dry, long rains, and short rains- from 2011 to 2018 in four conservation areas of varying protection levels: Tarangire National Park and Lake Manyara National Park, Manyara Ranch, and Mto wa Mbu game controlled area. Using statistical software Distance 6.0, we fit detection models to the sightings of each species determining the probability of observation. In addition, we used statistical program R to fit general linear models to test the effects of year and season on density estimates: zebra and wildebeest showing greatest seasonal fluctuations. For most of the species studied, we found highest densities in Tarangire National Park and Manyara Ranch; two areas of higher protection levels and high connectivity. Furthermore, a few species showed decreasing trends in Lake Manyara National Park, an area nearly isolated due to human activities and encroachment and in Mto wa Mbu game controlled area, an area of high human population and few restrictions. These results point to the importance of both the strictness of protection level and connectivity between protected areas in sustaining species populations within this ecosystem.
Ecological Effectiveness of Protected Areas in Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem, northern Tanzania
Protected areas in Tanzania, while plentiful, are not routinely monitored. So, little insight into the areas? successes or failures in the meeting of their goals for animal population maintenance is produced. This study assessed the conservation efforts of protected areas in the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem through the monitoring of population densities of five species: elephant (Loxodonta africana), giraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi), zebra (Equus quagga), wildebeest (Connochaetes), impala (Aepyceros melampus). We drove terrestrial line transects seasonally- dry, long rains, and short rains- from 2011 to 2018 in four conservation areas of varying protection levels: Tarangire National Park and Lake Manyara National Park, Manyara Ranch, and Mto wa Mbu game controlled area. Using statistical software Distance 6.0, we fit detection models to the sightings of each species determining the probability of observation. In addition, we used statistical program R to fit general linear models to test the effects of year and season on density estimates: zebra and wildebeest showing greatest seasonal fluctuations. For most of the species studied, we found highest densities in Tarangire National Park and Manyara Ranch; two areas of higher protection levels and high connectivity. Furthermore, a few species showed decreasing trends in Lake Manyara National Park, an area nearly isolated due to human activities and encroachment and in Mto wa Mbu game controlled area, an area of high human population and few restrictions. These results point to the importance of both the strictness of protection level and connectivity between protected areas in sustaining species populations within this ecosystem.