Press Release

U.S. Treasury Secretary visits American-supported Conservation project at Manyara Ranch

November 15, 2007

Today (November 15, 2007) the delegation of visiting U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson visited the Manyara Ranch in the Kwakuchinja wildlife corridor. The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been supporting the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) in the development of Manyara Ranch and the Great Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem since April 2001.

The Tanzania Land Conservation Trust (TLCT) is a non-profit institution whose main goal is to acquire critical wildlife areas threatened by private development. Members of the Board from conservation NGOs include the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) and World Conservation Society (WCS). Institution members of the Board include the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), Monduli District Council (MDC) and Wildlife Division. The TLCT manages lands to protect the needs of pastoral communities as well as to preserve the integrity of these areas for wildlife conservation.

Manyara Ranch, the first property acquired by the TLCT, occupies a critical central location in the Kwakuchinja wildlife corridor between Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks. Long-term conservation goals for the two national parks require linking these core protected areas with corridors of undeveloped land across which wildlife can move. In addition to its importance as a corridor, Manyara Ranch offers exciting conservation outreach potential for showcasing how communities can benefit from wildlife conservation outside of protected areas. Today, Manyara Ranch successfully manages cattle in conservation-friendly ways. Rangers patrol the ranch, monitoring wildlife and warding off poachers.

With the help of the Annenberg and Brown Foundations in the United States and others, a pre-existing boarding school for Maasai children was moved out of the wildlife’s way and relocated to an ultramodern facility in late 2006 that has capacity of 800 pupils and 30 teachers. The completion of Manyara Primary school is a good indication that the USAID strategy of “Conservation through Livelihoods” is strongly supported by the private sector. In fact, the main donors to the construction of the primary school (about $1 million USD) come from the private sector in the United States. This school showcases the important contributions of this successful public private partnership.

But most importantly, a huge portion of the Kwakuchinja corridor is secured for the future. The TLCT/Manyara ranch is on the way to becoming a model for wildlife/livestock integration and community livelihoods diversification compatible with landscape ecological resource and service provision. It is beginning to get international recognition and has started to receive many international visitors, the latest being today’s visit from U.S. Treasury Secretary Paulson.

Overall, Maasai leaders calculate assistance from the American people to the people of the Manyara Ranch area to be 3 million US dollars. Supporting Manyara Ranch and the Great Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem is only one of several areas to which the U.S. Government and American people have provided direct assistance in Tanzania. During the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2007, the U.S. Government will provide approximately $648 million (over 721 billion Tanzanian shillings) in direct assistance and through multilateral organizations to Tanzania.