Parks and Poverty
Saadani National
Park and Its Impacts
on Surrounding
Communities
Melissa Thaxton
Population Reference Bureau
July 13, 2006
Saadani National Park
Gazetted as a game
reserve in 1962
Upgraded to national
park in 2003
Total area of 1000 sq km
24 large mammal species
Several endangered and
rare animal and plant
species
Geographic Area

Saadani National Park
(SANAPA) vicinity includes
Maziwe Marine Reserve and
two collaborative fisheries
management areas

SANAPA straddles Pangani
and Bogomoyo coastal
districts

10 bordering villages

Population 13,000
Population, Equity, AIDS and Coastal
Ecosystems (PEACE) Project
Implemented by:
 URI Coastal Resources Center
 Tanzania Coastal Management
Partnership (TCMP)
 Population Reference Bureau
(PRB)
 IUCN
 Funded by USAID/Washington
Implemented in:
 8 villages in northern Bagamoyo
and southern Pangani districts,
Tanzania
PEACE Project Goal
To understand and mitigate the
impacts of HIV/AIDS on
biodiversity in the project area
using integrated coastal
management (ICM) processes, while
mainstreaming gender and
population dimensions.
To Understand the Links
Threats Assessment
Conducted




Participatory Rural
Appraisal (PRA)
Key informant
interviews
Interviews with
AIDS-affected
households
Scenario interviews
Main Findings of Threats Assessment:
HIV/AIDS Impacts on Environment





Overuse of natural resources
(esp. over-fishing and
deforestation)
Loss of human capacity and labor
Increased food insecurity
Loss of traditional knowledge
Gender inequity,
population dynamics, and
poverty are critical factors
SANAPA adds to the complexity
and, in some cases, the severity
of these critical factors
SANAPA’s Negative Impacts
on Communities

Increased food
insecurity

Increased wildlifehuman conflict

Increased
community-park
conflict
SANAPA’s Negative Impacts
on Communities

Decreased mobility

Decreased access to
natural resources

Decreased access to
health services and
schools
SANAPA’s Positive Impacts
on Communities

Support for
construction of
secondary school and
health dispensary

Construction of wells
and water pumps
To Mitigate the Impacts
Identified “doable” actions in consultation with
villagers:





AIDS “theater”
Paprika farming
Milkfish farming
Poultry raising
Fuel-efficient stoves
Parks and Poverty

In the short-term,
poverty appears to have
increased due to the
establishment of
Saadani National Park

But there are many
opportunities for
SANAPA to initiate
and/or support positive
change in the mediumand long-terms