The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Zephania Ubwani
26 June 2009
Arusha — The Selous Conservation Programme (SCP), which was implemented from the late 1980s through a German support, has set a precedent in wildlife management.
Many aspects of the programme are now accepted as modern best practices in sustainable wildlife conservation, it was revealed here earlier this week.
Mr Gerhard Anger, a German aid agency (GTZ) official, says SCP has contributed significantly "to the knowledge of how to manage biodiversity projects in the context of development cooperation."
"It has also influenced Tanzania's wildlife policy development. At the same time, SCP has produced tangible results in and around the reserve and these are acknowledged worldwide," he noted.
Mr Anger was speaking during the official launching of a book dedicated to the 50,000 square kilometre Selous, considered the oldest and largest game reserve in Africa.
The launching at the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa) headquarters here, attracted scores of wildlife experts and representatives of development partners supporting the conservation sector.
The 240-page book, Wild Heart of Africa, was edited by the first SCP project manager Dr Rolf Baldus. Proceeds from its sale would be channelled to the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania (WCST).
The GTZ official said the publication was one of the main products of SCP, he considered one of the first projects on biodiversity conservation in the context of development cooperation.
The programme was launched in 1987 after the Tanzanian and German governments agreed that their bilateral cooperation be extended to the conservation and management of the vast Selous Game Reserve.
The programme came to an end in 2003. Dr Baldus served it from 1987 to 1993 and again between 1998 and 2003. Proceeds for those on sale will be spent on wildlife conservation.
While GTZ provided technical assistance, the German Development Bank (KfW) supported the infrastructure development.
"We are celebrating today the launch of an important book dedicated to one of the most important conservation areas of this planet" he said.
GTZ has made available 240 special copies of the book to various local institutions and decision makers.
Selous Game Reserve was established in 1896 and named after Frederick C. Selous, a British soldier. In the 1920s, it was subsequently expanded to cover 50,000 square kilometres.
The occasion was also used to pay tribute to the late Dr Allan Rodgers who spent many years doing research in Selous since the 1960s and who is also one of the co-authors.
He died two months ago and was buried in Nairobi after working for many years as the United Nations Development Programme-Global Environment Facility (UNDP-GEF) technical advisor for Biodiversity programmes in East Africa.
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