THE NELSON MANDELA AFRICAN INSTITUTION OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY (NM-AIST).

SCHOOL OF LIFE SCIENCE AND BIO-ENGINEERING (LISBE)

PROGRAMME: MSc. in LIFE SCIENCES.

SPECIALIZATION: BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT.

COURSE 6261: BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PLANNING AND ECOSYSTEM

No Name Reg no Email

01 GLORY RUSTIS M051/T19 rustisg@nm-aist.ac.tz

02 GERVAS MAIKO M049/T19 maikog@nm-aist.ac.tz

03 THOMAS TEROSE M0/T19 teresot@nm-aist.ac.tz

04 PRAY KWEKA M0/T19 kwekap@nm-aist.ac.tz

A REPORT OF FIELD EXCURSION AT MERU DISTRICT COUNCIL DEPERTMENT

OF ENVIRONMENT CONSERVATION AND SOLID WASTES AMANGEMENT.
Contents
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................................3
2. Methodology.......................................................................................................................................3
3. Discussion...........................................................................................................................................4
3.1 Strength of Meru district on conservation of biodiversity and water sources.....................................4
3.2 Weaknesses observed in Meru district in conserving environment and environment sanitation........4
3.3 Opportunities observed......................................................................................................................4
3.4 Threats and challenges on environmental conservation in Meru district............................................6
3.4.1 Political influence and interference.............................................................................................6
3.4.2 Poor linkage of conservators and land use planners....................................................................6
3.4.3 Low community awareness on environment pollution and degradation especially on collection
and dispasal of solid wastes.................................................................................................................6
3.4.5 Encroachment in river banks and protected areas.......................................................................6
3.4.6 Invasive species..........................................................................................................................6
4. Field observation.................................................................................................................................7
4.1 Challenges observed..........................................................................................................................7
4.2 Conservation measures done........................................................................................................7
5. Conclusion and recommendation.........................................................................................................8

List of plates
Plate 1. Signboard at Makisoro water sources
Plate 2. Makisoro water source as observed during field visity
 1. Introduction
Meru District is one among the seven districts of the Arusha region of Tanzania. It is among the
two councils that form the Arumeru District. Geographically, Meru district is bordered to the
north by Longido District, to the east by Kilimanjaro Region, to the south by Manyara Region
and to the west by Arusha Urban District. The district council covers 1266 Km2. The district has a
total population of 268,144 people among which 131,264 (49%) are males and 136,880 (51%)
are females (National Census 2012).
The socio-economic activities of the inhabitant of the Meru district council are modified by
geographical location demarcated by the influence of mount Meru. Those living at slope of
Mount Meru grow bananas, maize, beans, vegetables, coffee and flowers for export are grown in
green house plantations. Rice and onions are grown using small scale irrigation schemes.
Bananas, rice, onions and coffee form cash crops and maize, beans and bananas form the food
crops. Animal husbandry form an integral part of their livelihoods. Dairy cattle are mostly kept
indoors (zero grazing) by those living at the slopes of Mount Meru while free ranging Zebu cows
are kept on the southern part of the Meru district council. Business for the important part of their
life. Tengeru and Usa river are business centers where agricultural produce and industrial goods
marketed.
The district council has various institutions such as public and private primary and secondary
schools, Livestock Training Institute Tengeru, Tengeru Horticulture Training institute, Nelson
Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Makumira University and Ausha
University and commercial farmers. All these are development partners.
Meru district council is renowned to have flowing rivers, streams and very good climate. The
sustainable utilization of its potentially good environmental condition could have enabled the use
of the land with minimum negative impact to the environment.
On 28th February 2020 as the MSc Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management class we had a
field excursion for the aim of studying the biodiversity and water sources management around
Meru District.

2. Methodology.
During the field trip we used discussion with the Meru district staff responsible wit for
environment management in Department of Environment and Solid Wastes Management. From
the discussion we had SWOT analysis of the department on biodiversity management was
employed to execute necessary information for the report. Also direct visiting method was used
to observe and determine activities done to conserve and management selected water sources.
 3. Discussion
The discussion of this report will base on SWOT analysis done at the office which was aiming at
getting information on strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in management of
biodiversity and water sources in Meru district.

3.1 Strength of Meru district on conservation of biodiversity and water sources.

Meru district council under its department of Environment and Solid wastes Management and
natural resources management department has been given all mandates to plan for the
conservation and utilization environmental resources in Meru district. The adoption of
Environmental act, Forest act and other approved environmental rules and regulations has
strengthened the power of the department on conservation. The department has been given
mandate to formulate by laws which will help in emphasising environment conservation and
proper utilization of ecosystem services in the district. Presence of environmental and natural
resources experts gives more strength in conservation activities.

3.2 Weaknesses observed in Meru district in conserving environment and environment

sanitation.
Few or insufficient number of experts, this makes difficulties on effectiveness in conservation
activities. Few or no clear data on the biodiversity richness and distribution and abundance, this
gives difficulties on arranging proper conservation techniques with respect to need of who,
what, how, where to be conserved. example during National tree planting day of each year they
plant more than 1000 trees, but this trees ware not planted with respect of who needs the
particular specie planted, who will manage the planted tree, why do they plant the specie on
particular planted environment, what specie to be planted with respect to the environment
condition and how to plant to ensure survival of the planted trees. Due to this, there is high
probability of miss matching the specie planted with the need of community and with the
environment necessary for the specie to thrive resulting to low survival rate of the planted trees
and sometime difficulties in monitoring the trees planted.

3.3 Opportunities observed.

Speaking of opportunities, means opportunities outside the department on which can be utilised
to ensure effectiveness in conservation activities. These includes:-
i. Presence of many institution such as the floriculture and horticulture companies as
environmental resources beneficiary i.e. they consume large amount of water, they
support different conservation activities such as tree planting by supplying trees to be
planted in water sources.
ii. Presence of different tourism companies and lodges which makes environmental
conservation as their key priority aspect on giving back to environment example
Ngarasero lodge and company they have contributed much on conservation of Ngaraseo
water source.
 iii. Presence of roadside tree nurseries and other active community environmental
conservation groups example Usariver Malihai club, this simplifies the initiatives of
conservation activities.
iv. Promotion of ecotourism in some conserved forests and water sources has provided
youth employment on tourism and thus engaging them in conserving and protecting the
nature of ecotourism sites such as USA Spring Forest and Duluti forest.
v. Collaboration with other institutes such as Tanzania forest services (TFS), Arusha
Nationa Park (ANAPA) Duluti military campus to facilitate conservation activities.
vi. Collaboration with academic institutions located within the district can provide training
and technical support in conducting research and collection of necessary information for
conservation, this will provide the department with researched conservation
methodologies and will simplify the general conservation task of the department.
vii. Implementation of different conservation projects like Pangani river basin projects in
collaboration with environment department supported the consolidation of water sources
boundaries by installing beacons and signboards.

Plate 1. Signboard at Makisoro water reouces illustrating the boundary of the Water
source.
3.4 Threats and challenges on environmental conservation in Meru district

3.4.1 Political influence and interference

There have been conflicts between conservation initiatives implementers, environmental

law enforcers and political leaders who make decision in favor of their political interests
and benefits. This has reduced the speed of conserving environment and its components
in Meru districts.

3.4.2 Poor linkage of conservators and land use planners.

There is no law interlinking laws between the land use planners and conservation areas,
these results to conflicts with the community when implementing conservation laws. i.e.
allocation and leasing settlements in protected such as river banks, wetlands and forest
lands has brought conflicts between conservators and leased communities when
implementing conservation and protection laws.

3.4.3 Low community awareness on environment pollution and degradation

especially on collection and dispasal of solid wastes.

The nature of living communities the large part of Meru district is living in farmland
inherited from their ancestors. The introduced concept of point collection of domestic
wastes to be haul to the selected damps has been difficult to cope with, and instead, the
wastes like plastic bottles and other non degradable wastes are damped in farm land and
river banks resulting to soil and water quality degradation, the proper use of chemicals
for land preparation and still is great challenge to the department.

3.4.5 Encroachment in river banks and protected areas.

Cultivation in river banks and within water sources example are saladi farmers in
Nduruma river, has been a threat to water catchment conservation. Extraction of
building materials like stones and sand from protected area was also mentioned as the
challenge and threat facing conservation initiatives.

3.4.6 Invasive species

Invasion of alien species such as Lantana camara, Pathenium hysterophorus, and

Leucaena leucocephala has been a threat to conservation of biodivasity in Meru district.
4. Field observation.
After office discussion we conducted a field visit, where we visited the selected water sources
to observe the challenges and conservation measures done.

Plate 2. Makisoro water source as observe during field visit

4.1 Challenges observed

i. Presences of human activities along the riverbanks and other water sources.
Saladi planting, fodder crops planting and babana planting were the major activities observed to
be conducted in river banks. this has lead to total destruction some Ndurima river tributaries.
ii. Invasive species
Many area along the road and in farms are invaded by Lantana camara, Pathenium
hysterophorus, and Caecalpenia decapitala.

4.2 Conservation measures done

i. Enrichment planting in areas invaded by community around water source and within
water sources where by trees like Ficus species were planted
 ii. Uprooting of invasive species in water sources to encourage the re- growth of native
plants and survival of the planted trees.
iii. law enforcement to people found cutting trees in protected land

5. Conclusion and recommendation

The field study was successfully provided the way up to conduct more studies on biodiversity
conservation in Meru district. The challenges observed has to address not only by the responsible
department also other sectors in their capacity should be involved directly in conservation of
environment. We advised the department to make full utilization of academic institutions to
conduct researches for better conservation activities.