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New Conservation Project in Tanzania Will Help Prevent Wildlife Decline, Preserve Resources, Increase Economic Stability

July 20, 2021

RTI International has been selected by USAID to implement the five-year project

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.— RTI International, a nonprofit research and global development institute, has been selected to implement a five-year conservation project in Tanzania by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The project, called Tuhifadhi Maliasili (“Preserve Natural Resources” in Swahili), aims to address threats to animal movement and biodiversity in Tanzania.

Over the past few decades, Tanzania has lost at least one-third of its ecosystems and the number of threatened species has tripled. Currently, approximately 25% of the country’s foreign income comes from tourism, the majority of which is wildlife based. If perpetuated, this rate of species decline will have a significant impact on economic stability.

“In partnership with USAID, we hope to renew economic benefits and strengthen the capacity of the government in Tanzania to not only manage natural resources, but ensure it is done sustainably,” said Kathy Wachala, environment portfolio director for RTI’s International Development Group. "Tanzania is one of the most ecologically and biologically diverse countries in the world and we are committed to ensuring its unique wildlife and natural resources are maintained.”

To address these threats, USAID has established three main objectives which the project expects to complete by June 2026:

Build institutional capacities of both public and private stakeholders.
Increase private sector engagement in biodiversity conservation and natural resources management.
Improve the policy regulatory and enabling environment for biodiversity conservation and natural resource management.

To achieve the project objectives, RTI will implement efforts to expand economic opportunities at the community level, empower women and youth, and focus on connectivity issues around key biodiversity levels.

To learn more about the conservation project, click here.
To learn more about RTI's work in Combating Wildlife Trafficking: https://www.rti.org/focus-area/combating-wildlife-trafficking

Highlights

RTI has been selected to implement a five-year conservation project in Tanzania by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The project, called Tuhifadhi Maliasili, aims to address threats to animal movement and biodiversity in Tanzania.
To achieve the project objectives, RTI will implement efforts to expand economic opportunities at the community level, empower women and youth, and focus on connectivity issues around key biodiversity levels.