Browsing by Author "Mmbaga, N."

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    Awareness and involvement of local communities adjacent Kihansi catchment in conservation of the re-introduced Kihansi spray toads (Nectophrynoides asperginis)
    (Elsevier, 2021) Sigala, A.; Ngongolo, K.; Mmbaga, N.
    Community awareness and participation in biodiversity conservation is vital for the establishment of community based conservation (CBC). However little information is available on the awareness and involvement of local communities adjacent to Kihansi catchment areas (KCA) on the conservation of re-introduced Kihansi spray toad (KST) and their habitat. This study focused on assessing the awareness and involvement of local communities adjacent to the KCA on the conservation of the re-introduced KSTs and their habitats. The study was conducted in three villages located adjacent to the Kihansi river gorge namely; Mgugwe, Udagaji and Ukami. Semi-structured questionnaires with both open and closed-ended uestions were used to collect data from the respondents from villages surrounding the Kihansi Gorge through a cross-sectional survey. The awareness of local communities on the re-introduced KST was as follows; 98.9% (n = 361) had heard about KST and the variation across villages was significant (p < 0.05). In addition, 46.03% (n = 168) had ever seen the toads although only 27. 67% (n = 101) were able to identify the toads through their physical features. About 43.01% (n = 157) of people heard about KST through friends, while 33.15% (n = 121), and 23.84% (n = 87) heard from experts and local government leaders respectively with insignificant variation across the three villages (p = 0.236). The participation of local communities in conservation was low (<30%) which was related to little awareness of local communities on the re-introduced KST. Challenges such as habitat destruction, pollution, fires, and predation by invasive species have been reported to affect KSTs and their habitats. The study recommends strengthening the participation of local communities in habitat restoration, conservation education, and research activities on the re-introduced KST.
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    Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, income of local communities and biodiversity conservation: Evidence from Burunge wildlife management area, Tanzania
    (Elsevier BV, 2024) Chebby, F.; Mmbaga, N.; Ngongolo, K.
    The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in various negative repercussions worldwide in terms of biological conservation, the tourism sector and socio-economic welfare. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on socio-economic activities, income from the tourism sector, alternative sources of income adapted by the local communities adjacent to the Burunge Wildlife Management Area (WMA) as a means of survival, and its implications for biodiversity conservation. To assess tourism status, socio-economic activities and alternative livelihoods, interviews, semi-structured questionnaires, focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informants’ consultations were conducted on 264 respondents, of whom 53 % (n = 140) were men and 47 % (n = 124) were women. Secondary data were obtained from soft and hard copy reports through an extensive literature search in order to comprehend the implications of COVID-19 and alternative livelihoods in biodiversity conservation. 90.5 % (239) of respondents reported being seriously affected by the emergence of COVID-19, while 9.5 % (n = 25) were not affected by it. Some of the impacts of the COVID-19 as pointed out by the respondents included deflation (91.7 %, n = 242), a decline in the number of customers (91.7 %, n = 242), whereas others lost jobs (5.7 %, n = 15). In the case of the Burunge WMA authority, revenue collection (mainly from the tourism sector) declined by 32.5 % and 76.4 % for the years 2019/20 and 2020/21, respectively, as compared to the revenue obtained in the year 2018/19 before COVID-19. During the pandemic, local communities adapted to several alternative sources of income while others intensified their former ones mainly being agriculture, fishing and livestock keeping. It is important for local communities, especially those adjacent to protected areas, to have diversified means of income that are environmentally and socially sustainable, such as fish farming and beekeeping, to reduce the impacts of unanticipated crises such as COVID-19.
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    Land use land cover change and socio-economic activities in the Burunge Wildlife Management Area ecosystem during COVID-19
    (Elsevier, 2023) Chebby, F.; Mmbaga, N.; Ngongolo, K.
    Land use land cover change (LULCC) is among the major factors affecting the natural environment worldwide. Studying LULCC is essential as it contributes to natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, and land use planning, especially during pandemics such as COVID-19. This study aimed at assessing the trend (1995–2021) and magnitude of LULCC in the Burunge WMA ecosystem before (2015–2018) and during COVID-19 (2018–2021). The data on LULCC were collected from the satellite imagery on the USGS website, whereas the data on perceptions of local communities on LULCC from Mwada, Kakoi and Maweni villages were collected through a household questionnaire survey (HQS) of 445 randomly sampled households, focused group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs). Quantitative data were analyzed using MS Excel 2019, R software (2022.02.0 + 443) and ArcGIS (Version 10.8). Qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis techniques. The findings indicated a fluctuation in agriculture, forest, and water coverage. For instance, agriculture and settlements increased significantly by 23.91% in 2015–2021 and 5.71% in 1995–2005 respectively, whereas forested land showed a maximum increase of 7.33% in 1995–2005. However, there was a pronounced increase in agricultural lands (3.99%) during the COVID-19 phase as compared to the same time frame before the pandemic. Local communities pointed to agriculture and settlements as the major activities contributing to LULCC. The findings show significant LULCC in Burunge WMA which calls for special attention from responsible authorities and other stakeholders for the achievement of biodiversity conservation and the development of livelihoods in the area.