The Katavi-Rukwa Ecosystem Community Eco-tourism for supplying protein alternatives (KECESPA)

The purpose of this project is to help local communities to improve their aptitude to safely manage and regain wildlife resources through Community Eco-tourism for supplying domestic protein; with a vision of a channel for inspiring fineness resources management throughout eco-tourism, awareness campaign and teamwork among stakeholders for biodiversity conservation.
Geographic location: Katavi-Rukwa Ecosystem of Mpanda District, Rukwa (now Katavi Region) in western Tanzania.
Based on existing findings geographically, activities will be carried out at the local level in Mpanda District, Rukwa (now Katavi) Region in western Tanzania in 11 villages lie between 5.7 and 19.1 km from the border of one of the two protected areas in Mpimbwe Division Katavi National Park (KNP) and Rukwa Game Reserve (RGR). Situated in the Rukwa Valley at latitude 6.45’ to 7.05 s, longitude 30.45’ to 31.25’ E,
Brief overview of the key threats to wildlife and habitats
Illegal hunting has been identified through scientific research as a primary cause of significant wildlife declines in Tanzania and is now an issue requiring high priority action.
Tanzania rangelands are a stronghold for biodiversity harboring a variety of animal and plant species of economic, ecological and socio-cultural importance. Efforts to protect these resources against destruction and loss have involved, among other things, setting aside some tracks of land as protected areas in the form of national parks, nature reserves, game reserves, game controlled and wildlife management areas. However, these areas and adjacent lands have long been subjected to a number of emerging issues and challenges, which complicate their management, thus putting the resources at risk of over exploitation and extinction. These issues and challenges include, among other things, government policies, failure of conservation (as a form of land use) to compete effectively with alternative land uses, habitat degradation and blockage of wildlife corridors, overexploitation and illegal resource extraction, wildfires, human population growth, poverty, HIV/AIDS pandemic and human-wildlife conflicts.
Another factor driving the problem is limited collaboration among stakeholders to address the bushmeat issue.
One of our studies found that key stakeholder organizations interviewed participate in addressing bushmeat trade through a number of pathways including: law enforcement (25.6%), infrastructure development inside protected areas (20.9%), support of policy formation (11.6%), research – community based conservation and capacity building (9.3%), and coordination with wildlife exporters/hunters and government (4.7%). Despite its importance as a key factor in addressing the bushmeat trade, none focused on protein or income alternatives for Youth and local communities.
The intended audience and priority
Beneficiary Focus and impact, the Agreement Establishing the Light Dream Organization (LiDO) stipulates that due emphasis shall be given to the Youth hunters, fishers and cultivators and to small agro-pastoral production producer. The project’s priority is to develop culturally acceptable alternatives income generation throught protein supply, youth engagement into wildlife management planning and integration of conservation and developmement strategies through stakeholders co-operation and co-management. The capacity build to manage decreasing illegal hunting pressures for bushmeat and its Trades in KECESPA project in transition will also be accorded priority consideration. These activities address direct to 44 local core groups of 220 youth local craftsmen; 100 local community and institutions leaders; and 200 smallholders from @ cluster formed.
Anticipated conservation outcomes:-
1. Sufficient development of necessary protein and livelihoods to sustain at least 2.6% of Tanzania’s growing human population through Participatory Protein Domestication and Eco-tourism.
2. Harmonized teamwork among Youth and other stakeholders to address illegal bushmeat trades and Natural resources extinction across Katavi-Rukwa Ecosystem;
3. Essentially participatory practice to impact both the environment conservation and local food security;
4. Formal domestic protein harvest system by Useful cattle and vegetables on the village farms transformation to sustain acceptable alternatives income generation for youth’s self-reliance in the future.
Potential alliance partners are expected to bring significant new resources, time, information, ideas, technologies, and/or partners to development fundraising activities. This proposal aims to mobilize donors and private sector contributions, both cash and in-kind resources.
Tangible Funding for this project will be made available through calls for project proposals.
The text of the call sets out the available budget, the scale of this project, eligible partners, required co-financing, the objective the project should contribute to and criteria that will be used to implement the project.

The Light Dream Organization now includes its partners for KECESPA instrument as an activity in the MNRT agenda of ongoing and future work (Tourist Open School).
In the context of its protein expansion activities, the project will encourage group actions that provide greater positive or reduced illegal bushmeat hunting, negative social, environmental and economic impacts along the value chain. In this connection, ‘best management practices’ (BMPs) of Partnership Alliance steering committee (PASC) or subcommittees as well as Integral conservatory steering committee (ICSC) present an opportunity to limit adverse impacts of protein domestication, allowing producers to maintain or improve their on-farm assets (e.g. soil, energy, water, biodiversity), innovation (including optimized resource use efficiency, creation of marketable place by-products, devastate reduction, increases in skills and incomes), assuring market access and reducing risk of adverse relations with local stakeholders.