Combating Poaching and Illegal Logging in Tanzania: Voices of the Rangers-Hands-on Experiences from the Field

SITUATION OF THE LAKE ZONE ANTI-POACHING UNIT According to representatives from the Lake Zone APU who have completed the training in tracking and crime-scene management, the impression is that the basic tracker course is very useful, and that the rangers benefit greatly from the training in their daily work fighting wildlife crime and illegal logging. own informants, and in spite of excellent dedicated efforts by the staff and management to stretch their resources as much as possible, there is no formalized system to coordinate the information gathered, which could be a formidable resource to the unit.

The representatives from the Lake Zone APU have observed armed non-state individuals in Nyungwe Forest National Park in Rwanda and in Kibira National Park in Burundi and there have been unconfirmed observations of possible Congolese rebels. The Lake Zone APU says that it has good cooperation with border patrols in Uganda and Kenya, but not those in Burundi and Rwanda.

The Lake Zone APU consists of 40 personnel in total, including management, secretary and rangers. The organization includes an intelligence unit, but it is not operational due to lack of resources. Intelligence-gathering and management is therefore based on individual initiatives, and there is little or no coordination. Each member of the APU handles his/her

Rangers from the Lake Zone APU checking charcoal transport, November 2015

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