Centred on 44-sq-km Ndarakwai Ranch and set up in 2001, this private conservancy is one of very few such projects in Tanzania. Like similar places in Kenya, the former colonial cattle ranch, which includes grassy plains and woodland, has been artfully converted into a protected area that blends conservation with community development.
The conservancy has been significant in allowing wildlife populations to recover in this important area that connects the Amboseli ecosystem in southern Kenya with Mt Kilimanjaro and Arusha National Parks and beyond. The conservancy has also set a private anti-poaching force. There are now more than 70 mammal species and around 350 bird species. Elephants, zebras, cheetahs, warthogs and lesser kudus are either resident or pass through on a regular basis, while lions and buffaloes are rare but increasing. At the same time, the conservancy is supporting the local school and helping to build fences to prevent crop damage caused by elephants.
