Browsing by Author "Gayo, Leopody"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Contribution of wildilife management area on wildlife conservation and livelihood: a case of Wami-Mbiki wildlife management area
    (The University of Dodoma, 2013) Gayo, Leopody
    This study assessed the contribution of Wami-Mbiki Wildlife Management Area (WMA) on the conservation of wildlife resources and livelihood in Maseyu, Mkono wa Mara and Gwata villages adjacent to the Wami-Mbiki WMA. Documentary review, questionnaires, interviews, focused group discussion and physical visits were used in collecting data. SPSS version 15 and Excel 2007 were used to analyse data. A total of 130 respondents were involved in this study. Findings from this study show that the WMA contributed TZS 20 million between 2008 and 2011 to each member village. Such revenue was used in social services development such as building and/or renovating classrooms, village government offices, dispensaries, water pumps and road construction. Thirty people were employed by the WMA and 90% of the employees come from the WMA member villages. The conservation cost incurred by local communities around WMA was mainly in terms of crop damage. As for conservation, since establishment of Wami-Mbiki WMA in 1997 there has been great improvement of wildlife habitats that resulted to an increase in fauna and flora diversity. WMA strengths were mainly income sharing and village representation while weaknesses included high dependency on donor support and poor WMA leadership. On opportunity, the WMA is rich in wild animal species and population while unauthorized livestock grazing was the prominent WMA challenge. The study concludes that WMA could be a solution of wildlife resources conservation and livelihood improvement if local people will be creative in developing conservation business enterprises and market them aggressively to create alternative livelihood opportunities such as small-scale income generating activities to reduce dependence on natural resources.
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    Influence of afforestation on coleopterans abundance and diversity at the University of Dodoma, Tanzania
    (Elsevier, 2022) Gayo, Leopody
    Afforestation transforms the structure and functioning ability of an ecosystem. Converting a bare landscape through afforestation may have positive and negative consequences to the biodiversity. The study assessed the abundance and diversity of beetles in different selected habitats at the University of Dodoma, Tanzania. The habitats involved afforested areas with exotic trees of five years, three years, and eight months, as well as shrubland and grassland. Pitfall traps were established along the 10 transects of 100 m each in the sampled plots to collect beetles. About 1031 beetles of 19 species were collected. Species richness was high in shrubland [Margalef’s index (D) = 1.75, 10 species] and in afforested plots of five years (D = 1.62, 9 species), implying that areas with high vegetation cover might be suitable for beetles. Kruskal–Wallis showed a statistically significant difference among the five plots (H = 57.33, p = 0.03), with the highest abundance in shrubland (303 individuals). An afforested area was occupied by 608 beetles, equivalent to 59% of total abundance. According to the Shannon-Wiener index, shrubland had the most species diversity (H′ = 3.17) and an 8-month plantation had the least (0.61). The study also found that the species abundance, richness, and diversity were high in the 5-year old afforested plot. The difference in abundance was statistically significant in afforested areas (Kruskal-Wallis, H = 31.21, p = 0.01). The study recommends more research on the influence of plant species on beetle abundance and diversity to gain a better understanding of beetle functional diversity.
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    Socioeconomic factors influencing local community perceptions towards Lion conservation: a case of the Selous game reserve, Tanzania
    (Sage publications, 2020) Gayo, Leopody; Nahonyo, Cuthbert Leonard; Masao, Catherine Aloyce
    We assessed the factors influencing local community perceptions towards lions in the Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania. Data were collected from 384 households through questionnaire surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions, and analyzed by content analysis and IBM SPSS version 20. About 86% (n=331) of respondents had negative perceptions towards lions. Education (p=0.0016, R=1.68), occupation (p=0.0021, R=−2.07), livestock numbers (p=0.0011, R=0.-0.43), livestock management (p=0.0006, R=0.373), water sources (p=0.0019, R=−0.21), and distance from the protected area (p=0.0183, R=2.11) were significant factors for community perceptions towards lions. We recommend compensation for the victims of lion attacks to reduce negative attitudes towards the species.
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    Status, determinants and challenges of tree planting in Dodoma district, Tanzania
    (Elsevier, 2023) Gayo, Leopody
    Climate change, human population growth, the energy crisis, and food insecurity negatively drive livelihoods in developing countries. The trend seems to be severe in arid and semi-arid areas where some livelihood strategies are naturally constrained. Tree planting is one of the mitigation and adaptation approaches applied to climate variability and change for sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa. The current study assessed the status, determinants, and challenges of tree planting in Nkuhungu, Msalato, and Hombolo villages in the Dodoma district, Tanzania. A household questionnaire survey (HQS) was used to collect data from 213 household respondents. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were used to supplement data from HQS. Results indicate that tree planting is practiced at household and institutional levels during the wet season and was promoted after the government shifted from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma. Approximately 5111 planted trees were recorded in the study villages, with an average of 24 ± 5 trees planted per household. Fruit and shade trees are widely planted in residential areas, and privately owned nurseries and the Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS) are the major sources of seedlings. Level of education (+), type of employment (-), seedling price (-), water availability (+), and the importance of the tree (+) were found to influence the number of trees planted by household respondents. The main challenges of tree planting are inadequate land size, water scarcity, high pricing of seedlings, lack of improved seeds, and insufficient extension services. Knowledge on tree planting determinants would be instrumental in strengthening the current governmental strategies for greening Dodoma. The study suggests increasing water sources such as boreholes and digging wells/ponds for watering trees; improvement of extension services; and provisioning of affordable improved and adaptive seeds to semi-arid areas.