The evolution of wildlife conservation policies in Tanzania during the colonial and post-independence periods

Abstract

This paper discusses the way wildlife policies evolved in Tanzania during the periods of colonial rule and after independence. Using the historical-qualitative data analysis technique, the study examines how the formulations and practices of policies during these periods instigated the scramble for resources in Africa, and in particular in Tanzania. Historically, pre-colonial societies in Tanzania lived and intermingled freely with wildlife, and conserved their resources according to their cultures. With colonialism in place, the wildlife conservation practices tended to alienate the local community from their natural resources. After independence, the government inherited most of the colonial policies, including those for wildlife conservation, and the practices of those policies made the use of these resources still more socially exclusive. This resulted in a struggle for access to and utilisation of the resources, a phenomenon that shows there is a continual scramble for resources in Tanzania, and in Africa in general.