Forty secondary school students from Babati District in Manyara Region have been challenged to turn conservation lessons into community action as Tanzania seeks to strengthen public participation in protecting wildlife and tourism resources.
The students began a five-day educational tour of Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area on Thursday, October 22, 2026, to learn about wildlife protection, environmental conservation and tourism management.
The visit, funded by Chem Chem Association, brings together the students, their teachers, parents and leaders from villages within the Burunge Wildlife Management Area (WMA).
Babati District Commissioner Hashim Shaibu Mgandilwa said the value of the programme would ultimately depend on the students’ ability to share the knowledge gained with their families and communities.
He said Tanzania’s wildlife and natural resources could only be preserved for future generations if citizens understood their importance and took responsibility for protecting them.
“Those of us who are adults have seen the benefits of conservation. We now want you, when you return, to educate people in your villages about the importance of protecting our conservation areas so that future generations find them intact rather than hear about them only in history,” he said.
His remarks highlight the importance of involving young people in conservation efforts, particularly in communities living alongside wildlife areas, where the protection of natural resources is closely linked to livelihoods and tourism.
Mr Mgandilwa commended Chem Chem Association for supporting conservation and tourism initiatives in the Burunge area, saying the organisation’s work had produced visible and measurable results.
“We are used to seeing many organisations saying they are committed to community advocacy, but you are doing work that is visible and measurable. The government supports you,” he said.
Chem Chem Association General Manager Clever Zulu said the practical learning programme, introduced last year, was intended to help students understand the benefits of conservation and tourism and encourage them to participate in protecting the environment.
He said the tour would expose the students to conservation professionals and provide practical lessons on wildlife protection and tourism.
Zulu said the wider delegation comprised 60 people, including the 40 students, who were expected to apply the knowledge gained during the visit in their communities.
“We believe that when these students return, they will become ambassadors for environmental protection and conservation,” he said.
For communities around wildlife areas, such initiatives are intended to build awareness of the importance of conservation and encourage residents to reject practices that threaten wildlife, including poaching.
Babati District Council Wildlife Officer Christopher Laizer said the tour was part of broader efforts to promote tourism and strengthen conservation awareness in the district.
He cited the Twiga anti-poaching football league, an initiative aimed at promoting the protection of elephants and raising awareness against illegal hunting.
“We believe these efforts will continue to benefit our district by promoting conservation and tourism while helping to combat poaching,” he said.
Burunge WMA Chairman Paschal Shing’ida said the programme was important because local communities were already benefiting from conservation and tourism activities.
He said exposing students to conservation work would help them better understand the value of wildlife resources and the need to protect them.
Some of the participating students welcomed the opportunity, pledging to share the lessons with their families and communities after completing the tour.
They said they would promote conservation, tourism and the fight against poaching, beginning with their own households.
The programme comes as conservation stakeholders continue to emphasise community awareness and participation as important elements in protecting Tanzania’s wildlife resources and sustaining tourism, a key economic activity.
By encouraging students to carry conservation messages back to their villages, organisers hope the lessons from the country’s major protected areas will translate into greater awareness and support for wildlife protection at the community level.