Hundreds scoop millions in compensation at elephant corridor

ABOUT 307 people who voluntarily gave up parts of their farms to pave the way for restoration of elephant corridor at Mang’ula Ward of Kilommbero District in Morogoro Region have been heftily compensated to the tune of 2bn/-.

The programme that is being implemented by the Southern Tanzania Elephant Programme (STEP) under the USAID Tuhifadhi Maliasili Project since 2018, has since seen 219 hectares released by villagers from Mang’ula.

Speaking to journalist at Mang’ula in an event coordinated by the Journalism Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET), STEP Corridor Restoration Manager, Mr Joseph Mwalugelo said the compensation funds were issued in batches and the last one was completed recently.

The initiative was taken for purposes of averting destruction done by elephants to humans and their properties, but also save the elephants from being injured or killed while moving from one place to another, specifically between Nyerere National Park and Udzungwa Mountains National Park.

Records show that since 2022 there have been 400 incidents of elephants damaging crops and properties. As for deaths, one person was killed in 2018 and 2019, two in 2020, one in 2021 and two in 2022.

Mr Mwalugelo said they are out to see elephants’ protection as well as conservation of the nearby protected areas. The manager unveiled that in securing the corridors there was no house that was smashed down; only farms were taken at Kilombero Landscape.

The manager said it took some time to convince the villagers to agree and give up their land, because there was misinformation being channeled to them, claiming that more land would be taken or that the implementing institutions were to conduct businesses at the area.

Mr Mwalugelo noted that apart from the compensation, there was an agreement that the three villages whose residents offered their land will get 10m/- or more yearly to be used in accordance to their own priorities that will be decided by each village council meeting. The villages are Kanyenja, Mang’ula A and Sole.

Kanyenja village that was the first to get the funds decided to pay for health insurance cover for elders, construct a sports venue, provide girls’ towels to 156 girls as well as support women groups. Sole village opted to lay a foundation for a health centre. The condition for providing the funds is to ensure that no elephant is killed or harmed in respective village.

The manager thanked village leaders for taking their time in raising awareness to villagers, making the real target sink in, hence villagers making the right decision that would lead to avoid wildlife human conflicts. The project started with capacity building at district, division, ward and village levels.

Before the decision to restore the corridor the way it is being done now, he added, research was carried on to establish elephants’ paths by setting up 18 camera traps between Nyerere National Park and Udzungwa Mountains National Park, identifying 26 groups of elephants with each group with 10 members upwards. They also monitored how elephants were destroying crops and came up with the solution.