PREPARING PROTECTED AREA PURPOSE STATEMENT

1. By Philipo Herman Malley PREPARING PROTECTED AREA PURPOSE STATEMENT

2. Introduction • Definition • Protected area purpose is the reason or reasons for which the area was set aside and exist. • There are number of places to look for statements of protected area purpose • Establishment and gazetting legislation and any associated history; • Reasons for setting aside these areas are clearly spelled in the legislation

3. Purpose statement for Kilimanjaro National Park • To protect the Africa’s highest and World’s free standing mountain • To protect and interpret one of the world’s known and most recognizable geologic feature • To conserve an area of exceptional natural and scenic beauty • To conserve the unique ecological ranges and features of this fragile mountain ecosystem and • To protect the habitat for threatened and endangered species

4. Purpose statement for Tarangire National Park • A critical dry season watering place for both resident wildlife and much of migratory wildlife of southern Maasailand; • One of the Tanzania’s most important wetlands and hydrological regime which support unique flora and fauna • Uunique association of mosaic habitats and landforms that give Tarangire a distinctive character • Habitat for endangered, threatened, endemic and rare species of special concern; • Scenic quality, aesthetic attributes and the type of low profile visitor experience that have traditionally associated with the park

5. Protected area significance

6. Introduction • Definition • Protected area significance can be defined as the area’s importance to our natural and/ or cultural heritage. It summarizes the reason which the area is important to natural or cultural heritage • It is summarized in statements that describe the reasons for the area´s importance to our natural and or cultural heritage • It should be clearly defined in the GMP document

7. Uses of significance statement • It establishes the framework on which the GMP is based. • It is important in identifying resource management and interpretation priorities • It also help in determining type of visitor experience most appropriate to the area

8. Source of significance statement • Enabling legislation and associated history • Research reports conducted in the area

9. Examples of significance statementKilimanjaro National Park • Kilimanjaro National Park contains superlative natural phenomenon and is an area of exceptional beauty. • Its magnificent snow-caped summit above 5000 metres above the ground. • The Kilimanjaro volcanic massif is one of the world’s largest volcanoes • It represents the worldwide image of Africa. • Historically, the challenges of learning about, exploring, and climbing this mysterious mountain captured the imagination of people throughout the world • It is one of the highest point and greatest elevation in African National Parks

10. Examples of significance statement Cont… • It supports unique combination of eco-climatic zones that takes you on the equivalent trip from the arctic to the equator in a very short space. Few of these areas exist • It is the unique ecosystem located near equator that contains ice glaciers • It has the greatest extent of alpine desert of all the glaciated equatorial mountains in East Africa • Montane forest is one of the most important water catchments in all areas of Tanzania • It supports endemic vegetation that have uniquely adapted to the extreme climatic conditions

11. Tarangire National Park • Is the only park in northern Tanzania where one can view large concentration of elephants during almost every time of the year • Is one of the parks in Tanzania which have never been used for cattle grazing or human settlements • It is one of the most easily accessible protected areas in Tanzania • It has more acacia species (16) than any other National Park in Africa • On its acacia it possess highest diversity of breeding birds in a single vegetation type • One of the few areas where you can see large concentration of oryx

12. Developing Protected Area Objectives

13. Introduction • This is the list of desired conditions in the protected area • The desired conditions are expressed as broad, conceptual description of what a protected area should be, based on the kinds of conditions we want to prevail. • These conditions in GMP are for desired future of the protected area and the basis for recommending the management zoning and plan of action

14. Key concepts • Management objectives should reflect protected area purpose, significance and exceptional resource values; • It describes the conditions that should exist to accomplish protected area purpose as defined in GMP • It spell out the ends desired but not the means to those ends • It do not describe the programs, actions and support facilities needed to achieve these conditions • Those are described in the next step in this process • It responds to the issues that have been identified where each issue will be addressed by at least one management objective

15. Key concepts cont… • Management objectives should be grouped in a similar way as the issue statement according to the topic e.g. natural resources, cultural resources, visitor use and development, local and regional community etc;

16. Characteristics of management objectives • Majority of management objectives are specific to protected area in question and reflects local condition • Important criteria includes; • Specific • measurable • Achievable • Realistic • Time binding

17. Examples from Rubondo National Park • Natural resource • Reduce poaching incidences by 50% by the end of 2009 • Eliminate all exotic plant species by the year 2009 • To promote conservation of Maisome Forest Reserve and surrounding lake water • Park Operations and administration • Ensure accessibility within and from outside RINP is improved by the year 2010 • Adequate manpower ensured by the year 2009 • Necessary social services inside the park provided by the year 2007

18. Examples from Rubondo National Park cont… • Visitor use, development, interpretation and public information • Ensure that, 50% of visitors to Tanzania are aware of attractions and outstanding resource values of RINP by the year 2010 • Chimps are visible by 50% to tourists by the year 2009 • Community and socio-economic • Ensure good working relationship between RINP and all relevant institutions by the year 2009 • Promote sustainable land use planning and management in villages around the park

19. Examples from Rubondo National Park cont… • Cultural resources • Ensure the availability and interpretation for tourism of cultural resources information around RINP by the year 2008 • Revenue • Ensure that RINP increases its revenue by the year 2013