Photography by Marcus Westberg

Global Conservation's partnership with African People & Wildlife (APW) continues to be a change-maker in the shared lands around Tanzania's Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Throughout 2024, our support helped advance practical solutions that enhance community safety while protecting the region's elephant populations, leading to measurable improvements in human-wildlife coexistence.

Strengthening Response Systems

The foundation of effective conflict mitigation lies in a rapid, coordinated response. This year marked a significant advance with the development of enhanced Rapid Response Teams (RRTs). Through an intensive workshop with conservation authorities, comprehensive protocols were established for addressing human-elephant conflict—from initial alert to final resolution. The addition of a dedicated response vehicle, provided to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA), has transformed the teams' ability to reach conflict zones quickly and safely. This investment has already proven its worth beyond conflict response; in one instance, the vehicle enabled teams to successfully rescue a buffalo trapped in treacherous mud flats, demonstrating the broader conservation value of enhanced mobility in the field.

Community-Based Conservation Success

Building on this infrastructure, the Warriors for Wildlife program has emerged as a model of effective community-led conservation. These trained Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) Officers, members of their own communities, managed nearly 500 incidents in 2024, bringing local knowledge and technical expertise. Through regular, hands-on training sessions in participating villages, APW has equipped these officers and community members with toolkits for elephant deterrence, including chili smoke bricks, air horns, and Roman candles. This combination of tools, training, and local leadership has created a sustainable and locally led approach to conflict management.

The program's impact also extends beyond direct conflict resolution. Thanks to Global Conservation, a community soccer tournament reached over 120 in-person participants and thousands over local radio, combining a love of sports, lessons about elephant coexistence, and a celebration of community pride.

Measurable Progress Through Data

The numbers reflect the effectiveness of these combined initiatives. Despite maintaining consistent elephant populations in the area, crop-raiding incidents during peak conflict months showed a remarkable 52% decrease compared to 2023. Response times now average just 30 minutes—a critical improvement that minimizes damage and reduces risk to both wildlife and communities. The systematic recording of over 3,200 elephant observations throughout the year has created a valuable database that informs strategy refinement and helps predict potential conflict zones.

Expanding Impact

Building on these successes, Global Conservation's support for an upcoming Conservation Technology Center (CTC) marks another milestone in our commitment to data-driven conservation solutions. While final renovations at NCAA headquarters are underway, state-of-the-art monitoring equipment stands ready to enhance our understanding of elephant movement patterns and community interaction zones.

The success of programs in Ngorongoro is now shaping conservation strategies in other critical landscapes. In the Lake Natron area, 20 newly trained HEC Officers are putting these proven approaches into action with help from APW, demonstrating how targeted interventions can create ripples of change across ecosystems. APW is planning to increase HEC monitoring and mitigation efforts into the Mkomazi-Tsavo corridor, which is further to the east. This will help people and wildlife live together more comfortably in yet another important area.

Reflecting on 2024, our partnership with African People & Wildlife has driven meaningful innovations in wildlife protection and community resilience. The impact of Global Conservation’s support now stretches far beyond Ngorongoro, helping scale conservation solutions across Tanzania. As we look ahead, the lessons learned and successes achieved here are a blueprint for balancing the needs of wildlife and rural communities—an approach that is more critical than ever in today’s conservation landscape.

A New Vehicle to Support Conservation Patrols

This fall, with additional support from Conservation Nation, APW added a new vehicle to rapid response efforts in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The vehicle is already making a difference by enabling local teams to respond swiftly to human-elephant conflicts in community lands and villages near the protected area landscapes. Amazingly, we can track all the efforts making a difference in a short time. By working hard, APW-supported human-elephant coexistence officers have made it so that there have been 52% fewer crop-raiding incidents reported during peak conflict months in 2024 compared to 2023.

APW recently launched an elephant conservation project in the Greater Mkomazi landscape, marking another exciting expansion of our work. Thanks to the African Elephant Conservation Fund of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the initiative will enable us to monitor elephant movements and enhance conservation strategies in this transboundary region where wildlife traverse between Tanzania and Kenya. By leveraging our partnerships and increasing the capacity of local leaders, this work around Mkomazi National Park is an exciting opportunity to build on our successes and extend our impact in new and meaningful ways.

Much like the expansion from big cats to elephant coexistence in recent years, our holistic approach to conservation continues to evolve—now with a community health lens. By integrating health programming for girls and women into our environmental education activities, we’re helping strengthen the links between conservation and well-being. Health and life lessons are now part of our wildlife clubs and the Women’s Beekeeping Initiative, reinforcing the bonds between environmental stewardship and healthier, more empowered communities.

With pressures mounting on wildlife and wild spaces, African People & Wildlife offers vital tools to help communities and nature thrive, thanks to Global Conservation.

In September, two elephants unexpectedly wandered into a village bordering the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, crossing through a busy area and heading toward a school. The timing was dangerous—midday, when few people expected wildlife nearby.

With students and teachers on alert, the situation could have quickly escalated.

But thanks to their Warriors for Wildlife and the training provided to a local conflict mitigation group, a swift and safe response followed. Non-lethal tools like chili firecrackers and noisemakers successfully guided the elephants back to the forest.

This incident, one of more than 1,200 wildlife conflicts in the region since 2022, is a powerful example of our approach in action—engaging communities, building trust, and empowering local people to protect both wildlife and their well-being. And just as the villagers are thankful for their coexistence officers, we deeply appreciate your ongoing commitment to this vital work.

BREAKING BARRIERS TOGETHER

Diversifying the conservation field is essential for strong environmental decision-making. This year, APW’s education programs made progress in breaking down barriers and cultivating a new, inclusive generation of advocates. Scholarships expanded to include more students from partner schools, and more scholars are now pursuing university studies. In fact, two of APW’s female scholars graduated this year with degrees in Rangeland Management and Environmental Science.

APW made similar strides in girls’ education by working to remove obstacles to school attendance and incorporating life lessons on well-being into our wildlife club curriculum—now reaching more than 2,700 youth. By helping to address gender disparities and encouraging young women to pursue careers in environmental fields, you’re part of the movement for healthier communities and a more sustainable future.

BEEKEEPERS FLYING HIGH

With training and support from our team, local Queen Bees are now driving essential parts of the Women’s Beekeeping Initiative, empowering nearly 2,000 rural and Indigenous women with eco-friendly businesses. Mama Asali’s honey, candles, and skin care products are not only in high demand but have also been honored by the Tanzanian government! Thanks to your generosity, we’re advancing rapidly on a second Women’s Enterprise Center, set to revolutionize the program’s honey processing, product development, and retail opportunities in the year ahead.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

A Special Excerpt by Neovitus Sianga: Director of Community Conservation

“If I chose a word to describe our rangeland conservation activities this year, it would be uunganishaji—connectivity. Communities have come together to conserve grasslands on a scale we haven’t seen before. In 2024, we established joint grazing plans in Babati, connecting five villages, and in Longido, where four villages united to oversee their rangelands. These grass banks are managed to benefit livestock and wildlife while ensuring equitable access to pasture—reducing human conflict and shielding against unpredictable rainfall due to climate change.

But connectivity also means more than the land. It requires building relationships and trust for the long term. As more communities are equipped with the knowledge and tools for self-governance, including data from local rangeland monitors, I know we are fulfilling our promise to protect wildlife, invest in people, and restore balance. Your support makes this possible.”