YES “EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER” EVEN WHEN IT COMES TO CONSERVATION.

Unlike other wards of Meru district which COMECA is implementing the project on the 1998 forest policy training, Songoro does not have that much forest degradation as compared to her neighbors, Nkwarisambu and Sing'isi. The hills of this periphery ward looks well conserved, the trees and other vegetation looking younger in most parts. When you are here, u can hardly feel that scorching sun which is a character in most dry not-well-conserved areas including populated urban areas.

NURTURING CONSERVATION SKILLS AMONG THE LEADERS IS NOW THE WAY TO GO!

A recent training on Community Based Forest Management at Seela village of Singisi ward in the new Meru district has brought into attention that sometimes our environment could be well conserved if we could equip and train our local leaders with conservation skills.

IS IT RIGHT TIME TO EMPOWER VILLAGE NATURAL RESOURCE COMMITTEES?

The Mkupuka Village Natural Resource Committee found near Ikwiriri in Rufiji district has proven the fact that it is possible for communities to protect their own forest resources. It was 3rd September of this year (2011) when we caught timber harvested illegally in our forest (Ngumburuni Forest) said Mkupuka village chairperson Mr Issa Moyogani.
I have reported to the village council and we have agreed to sell all timber confiscated, 70% will go to the village government for village development and 30% will support village natural resource committee

THE CAMPAIGN OF CONSERVING THE LUNGS OF DAR ES SALAAM WILL RESCUE KAZIMZUMBWI AND PUGU FOREST RESERVE

Pugu and Kazimzumbwi forest reserve is a big resource which is available at Ilala district in Dar es Salaam and Kisarawe in coastal region. Different environmental expert claims that, those reserves have resources including different animals and plants. These forests reserves are a source of Kizinga river which are the one of river which preserves water downwards in Dar es Salaam region

A CRY FROM ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEES IN MBEYA CITY!!

Mbeya city has wards environmental committees which were formed in 2007 but they don’t have full mandate in operation as their cry. The committees comprise of members from each street within the ward. They were formed in order to supervise the environmental conservation and protection.

I visited Ruanda and Ilomba wards environmental committees where I met with its members from streets. The environmental committee members directed their cry to the Mbeya city council on the environmental department especially to the City Environmental Management Officer, health officers and local community.

AGRO FORESTRY AS ONE WAY OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION.

Agro forestry includes practices that involve a close association of crops and trees, animal and pasture and this helps in environmental conservation because small area can be used to accommodate farming activities that one has planned to conduct such as growing pasture and grazing animals in the same area, this reduce the movement of animals from one area to another hence decrease the rate of soil erosion.

TOBACCO PRODUCTION A THREAT TO SAVANNAH WOODLANDS IN TANZANIA

‘Processing a hectare of tobacco may consume woodfuel equivalent to one hectare of savannah woodland’’
It is very true that tobacco is essentially a smallholder enterprise in Tanzania. There are so far more than 56,500families, with more than 339,000 people, engaged in tobacco growing.

The production involves the use of indigenous species which are Brachystegia, Jubernadia, Erythophreum africanum, Afromosia angolensis and Eucalyptus spp. These indigenous species are difficult to be regenerated because of adverse environmental factors as well as the inherent characteristics of some of the species involved.

WHERE IS THE COMMUNITY TO CONSERVE OUR NATURAL FORESTRY?

Natural forest that are found in different places in our country has been destroyed while they are the main source of important services that we depend much in our well being such as the source of water, fresh air, rainfall and climate regulation in general.
Chimala village is one of the villages that is adjacent to Chimala natural forest reserve that has been destroyed

PASTORAL COMMUNITIES NEED MORE SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

This was discovered during the Young Environmentalists Trainees (YET’s) visit to Simanjiro community radio station and the Maasai community surrounding the radio station. The production manager Wilbert Kiwale informed YET’s that there were several programs of environment education by the radio to the Maasai community

MARINE CONSERVATION AND QUARRYING ACTIVITIES IN MTWARA COST ZONE.

Several times from different actors including KIMWAM, community in Mtwara cost zone had been provided with marine resources conservation knowledge that contributed to minimise the rate of marine degradation particularly through white corals harvesting

BOUNDARY CLEARANCE AS ONE OF THE MAIN ACTIVITIES TO MAINTAIN AND PROTECT THE FOREST

Among many other activities which ensure forest maintenance and protection, boundary clearance is the best method that ensures the security of the forest by restricting and minimizing wild fires for the sustainable
Utilization of the forest.

DEATH TWISTERS BACK TO LIFE

Vultures are large birds of prey famously known as the best death twisters back into life as they consume dead animals to earn their living. Each year the first Saturday of September it is an International Vulture’s Awareness Day (IVAD) with the aim of raising awareness on vulture’s conservation. Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania (WCST) as ambassadors of birds conservation, are expecting to commemorate the International Vulture’s Awareness Day on 10th September 2011 at Dar Es Salaam Zoo. During the commemoration there will be different activities concerning vultures’ conservation.

IS OUR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY TO CONSERVE ENVIRONMENT

There is some local saying which states that, if we conserve our environment properly, it will conserve us as well, but nobody cares. Instead we are putting our life at risks for not conserving our environment. We experience problems such as diseases like cholera, unpleasant smell, excessive hotness, drought, bush fires and sometimes death.

JOURNALIST: THE KEY INFORMANTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

Most people do not know the role played by journalist in promoting environment conservation. Many community members have negative attitude toward them as they think that they are liars, but in real sense, Journalists are the ones providing us with information about different environment issues. Journalists not only create awareness to community members but also advocate and expose various evil things which are affecting our environment.

AGROFORESTRY: AN ALTERNATIVE TO LAND MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS IN TANZANIA

Agroforestry is a land use system that integrates trees (wwody perenials), crops and/or animals in a system on the same piece of land in order to get higher productivity, greater economic returns and more social benefits on a sustainable basis. This can be done by planting trees and crops together in the same field at the same time, or they can be planted in a rotational system.

WHY ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES AND LAWS ARE NOT EFFECTIVE IN TANZANIA

Since independent 1961 Tanzania have formulated very good environmental laws, policies and strategies such as Forest act no 14 (2002), environmental management act no 20, 2004, fisheries act no 22 of 2003, wildlife conservation act no 12 of 1974 and policies includes environmental policy of 1997, foresty policy of 1998, wildlife of 1998 and tourism policy of 1999. Not only that but also strategies for supporting sustainable implementation of such laws eg. MKUKUTA and MKURABITA in mainland MKUZA in Zanzibar. Why environmental destruction still engulfing the country? Below are the key reasons:

IS GLOBALIZATION PROCESS FAIR TO THE ENVIRONMENT?

The whole world is captured with the highest stage of Development. This stage is Globalization. Globalization can be defined as rapidly increasing complex interactions between societies, cultures, economies, technologies, governance, institutions and individual world wide.

IS CROPPING UNDER A CANOPY FRIENDLY TO SUSTAINABLE FARMING?

Agro forestry is becoming increasingly important throughout the world. Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations confirms that while the number of trees in forests is still declining every year, the number of trees on farms is steadily increasing.

FOREST IS LIFE

Forest is important in our lives. it provides medicine, firewood, timber, charcoal making, as well as it also absorb carbon dioxide which has adverse impact in our health, attracts rainfalls which helps our crops to grow well as result contribute in national economy.

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO PRESERVE OUR ENVIRONMENT?

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO PRESERVE OUR ENVIRONMENT? This question was answered by the Director of Environment Division at the Vice Presidents Office during a discussion with LHRC officials including the current and former YET.

VILLAGE NATURAL RESOURCE COMMITTEE AND ITS RESPONSILITIES IN CONSERVING FOREST RESOURCES IN WEST USAMBARA

VNRC is the group of people who has been selected by the village members of the community to be responsible in managing of natural resources available in the village on behalf of the entire village.

CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS OUR LIFE: WE SHOULD TAKE MEASURES TO COPE WITH THAT CHANGES

The problems associated with climate change affects people’s livelihood in almost aspects of life i.e. socially, economically, and culturally. Climate change brought changes in temperature, floods drought and rise of the sea level. In Tanzania there are some evidence which shows the climate change is there and continuing taking place particularly in our surrounding areas.

ALLOWANCES VS KNOWLEDGE IN MTWARA DISTRICT.

In Mtwara and other part of our country, community has been affected by allowance acquisitions as factor for training and meeting attending. That is even in activities that benefit an individual person such as training or a small meeting if you will not provide them with allowances very few will attend you meeting.

WANAMAZINGIRA TUJIFUNZE NINI KUTOKA WIZARA YA MALI ASILI NA UTALII?

Hivi karibuni kuliibuka sakata la kutoroshwa kwa wanyama hai nchini kwa kutumia ndege ya jeshi la Qatar uliofanyika katika uwanja wa ndege wa kimataifa wa Kilimanjaro( KIA).Kwa habari zilizosikika miongoni mwa vyombo vya habari wanyama hai waliotoroshwa kwa njama ni zaidi ya 120 na thamani yao ni takriban sh. Milioni 6.9 ambao ni ndege hai na jumla ya fedha za wanyama wote hai hao ikiwa ni shilingi 170,570,500.

TEETHLESS BMUs AT MTWARA

BMUs plays a great role in sense of marine conservation and community development and this is only if they are well formulated and given full mandate to control their resources. BMUs has very big roles to play, such as undertaking monitoring activities, licence inspections, inspection to illegal fishing, protecting resources from all forms of pollution, resources data collection, environmental conservation, tax collection and many more.