Tanzania
Country Profile
Tanzania, located in East Africa, is one of the most biodiverse countries on the continent. Its natural wonders are internationally revered, from the depths of the Lake Tanganyika, the deepest lake on the African continent, to the snowy tops of Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest point of the continent.
Tanzania is home to 6 of 25 globally known biodiversity hotspots, such as the Eastern Arc old Block-Mountain Forests, the coastal forests, and the grassland savannas, where many large mammals are located.
It is home to 20% of the large mammals on the continent.
Tanzania’s number of threatened species has tripled in the last decade, making the country home to the 11th highest total number of IUCN Red Listed threatened species in the world. The country prioritises its abundant natural resources, placing around 32.5% of the total land area under protection, however most of Tanzania’s wild animals are found outside those protected areas.
As the country experiences economic growth, and development continues to extend into previously inaccessible areas, there is an increase in human-wildlife conflict.
The survival of Tanzania’s biodiversity is a race against development, and its habitats and wildlife are at the mercy of human-wildlife conflict, poaching, droughts and climate change, and other human activities.
Despite being one of Africa’s fastest growing economies, with wildlife tourism accounts for approximately 25% of foreign exchange earnings in Tanzania, the loss of wildlife will have a domino effect on the country’s economic stability.