Expansion of Manyara NP, Who is the true beneficiary?

Sunday November 29, 2009 Local NewsMines closed for Manyara National Park expansion

Tree climbing lions are only found in Manyara National Park, which is expected to be expanded to double its current size of 330 square kilometres.
MARC NKWAME in Babati, 28th November 2009 @ 14:07, Total Comments: 0, Hits: 168

THE Emerald and Alexandrite Mines in Mayoka Village in Babati District will soon be closed to pave way for the expansion of Lake Manyara National Park.

The Park Warden, Ms Betrita Loibooke, said here today that an official directive from the State House has ordered that the mining operations be halted and all miners be moved out of the area.

Mr Emmanuel Penko, the spokesperson for artisan miners at the quarry said that the decision has hurt them because they were in the process of asking for loans to buy better mining equipment for their operations.

The miners claim that they had no information on the planned expansion of the park. "That is why we were still mining in the area," Mr Penko said. He added that most miners held valid licences, some of which expire in the year 2014.

Members of the Parliamentary Finance and Corporate Affairs Committee who visited the mines told the miners that the decision to expand the park was passed by the National Assembly in November last year and appeared in Government gazette Number 105 of May 2009.

The committee, led by its deputy chairperson, Ms Estherina Kilasi, resolved that the Tanzania National Parks Authority (Tanapa) sit with the miners and decide how the matter can be addressed properly.

"You must meet and see if there is a possibility of compensation for affected people because there is no alternative for the quarry owners other than to vacate the area," Ms Kilasi said.

The proposed expansion will see the size of Lake Manyara National Park doubled from the current 330 square kilometres to around 650 square kilometres, taking in the Emerald and Alexendrite mines, the Marang' forest and farms Number 1, 2 and 3 in Majimoto.

The move will give Tanapa total control of Lake Manyara. Previously, only half of the lake basin was under conservation. However, according to Ms Loibooke, Mayoka Village will not be affected by the expansion.

Lake Manyara National Park is the only place in the world where tree climbing lions can be seen. The park handles an average of 160,000 tourists every year. It lies within the Rift Valley in the Maasai Steppes and is home to large herds of buffalo, wildebeest, Zebra and giraffes.

The park is also sanctuary for banded mongoose, diminutive Kirk's dik-dik and a wide variety of bird and rodent species. Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania's birdlife. More than 400 species have been recorded, and even a first-time visitor might expect to observe 100 of these in one day.

The lions also hunt along the shores of the lake. The park was once a favourite spot for big game hunters. However, today, Lake Manyara's wildlife is protected and nearly all the mammals known to have occurred here historically are still present, says Game Officer Mwasenga.

This includes large herds of buffaloes, the endangered African wild dogs (or painted dogs), cheetahs, Maasai giraffes and impalas. Other mammals at Manyara include olive baboons in troops numbering several hundred animals.

Also readily seen in the park are Syke's monkeys, short-eared galagoes (bush babies), Cape clawless otters, Egyptian mongoose, hippos and klipspringers.

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