Tanzania is expanding the use of electric fencing and other technologies to protect communities living near game reserves and conservation areas from dangerous wildlife, particularly elephants.
Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Hamad Hassan Chande told parliament in Dodoma that the government, working with conservation partners, plans to install electrified fences along the western boundary of the Maswa Game Reserve, which borders residential areas, to prevent elephants from straying into villages and farms.
He was responding to a question from Kisesa lawmaker Musa Godfrey Mbuga, who sought information on new methods being used to control elephants in the villages of Ng’hanga, Mwambongo, Matale, Longalonhinga, Sakata, Nyanza and Banhya.
Chande said the initiative forms part of broader efforts to strengthen the safety and security of communities living around protected areas, as human-wildlife conflicts continue to pose risks to lives and livelihoods.
He added that the government has developed a new national strategy for managing human-wildlife conflict covering the period 2025/26 to 2035/36, in collaboration with several sector ministries under the coordination of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Chande said the inter-ministerial approach would help establish a robust system that balances community interests, conservation goals, and sustainable national economic development.