Ecological Impacts of Land Conversion onWildlife Conservation: A Case of Construction Sector in Tanzania

Abstract

Establishment of protected areas is globally employed as the mechanism for conservation of biological diversity. However, the protected areas are subject to land conversion. The land conversions taking place in the protected areas can be illegal or ones graced by authorities mandated to conserve the biodiversity. In Tanzania, the changing socio-economic forces and population are behind the growing construction projects in the wildlife habitats. In most cases, the development initiatives such as the construction projects lead to downgrading, downsizing and degazettement of the protected areas. Various studies have reported notable impacts of construction projects on wildlife conservation in protected areas. The obvious identified ecological impacts of construction projects include habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and blockage of migratory corridors and loss of dispersal areas, increased poaching rates, pollution, and disturbance to wildlife. The Undertakings of environmental impacts assessments on proposed construction projects are vital not only for enhancement of preparedness among those responsible for wildlife conservation but also provision of insights on how to mitigate the negative impacts of those projects. In that case, it is imperative necessary to document the growing concerns in biodiversity conservation so as to reduce the ecological impacts of the increasing construction works.