1.1 Introduction: Regulating the Hunting Industry in Tanzania

Lawyers' Environmental Action Team (LEAT)
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REGULATING THE HUNTING INDUSTRY IN TANZANIA

Reflections on the Legislative, Institutional and Policy-Making Frameworks

Introduction

List of Abbreviations

Acknowledgements

I. The Development of the Hunting Industry in Tanzania: A Historical Perspective

	1.1 Introduction
	1.2 Hunting in the Pre-Colonial Era
	1.3 The Hunting Industry in the Colonial Period
	1.4. The Status of the Hunting Industry in the Post-Colonial Era

II. Implementation of International Legal Instruments Relating to Hunting

	2.1 Introduction
	2.2 The African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 1968
	2.3 The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, 1973
	2.4 The Southern African Development Community Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement, 1999

III. A Review of Legislation and Policy Regulating the Hunting Industry

	3.1 Introduction
	3.2 Policy
	3.3 Legislation

IV. Salient Features and Constraints in the Legal, Policy-Making and Institutional Frameworks

	4.1 Potentiality for Arbitrary Use and Abuse of Power
	4.2 Professionalism and the Hunting Industry
	4.3 Voices from the Local People

V. Conclusion and Recommendations

Bibliography

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I. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUNTING INDUSTRY IN TANZANIA: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

1.1 Introduction

Frequently referred to as the cradle of mankind and the reference point for the evolution of humankind and culture development, Tanzania's fascinating history stretches to about 2 million years ago. The land forming the country is situated between 1 degree and 11 degrees south of the Equator on the eastern coast of Africa. To the north, the country borders Kenya and Uganda. In total, the country covers a massive land of 938,676 sq.km. Out of this, 936,062 comprise of Mainland Tanzania while the remaining 2,614 sq.km. is made up by the Islands of Pemba, Mafia and Zanzibar. These Islands are surrounded by the azure waters of the Indian Ocean and form the country's largest offshore islands. The Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire), Rwanda and Burundi are its neighbors on the west, while Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique border it in the south.

The combination of Tanzania's precipitous forested mountains and great inland lakes, rivers and streams are probably some of the unique features of Africa's most varied and scenic landscape. Able to boast of Africa's highest mountain in the snow capped Kilimanjaro, the continent's biggest Lake Victoria, some of the largest parks and reserves harboring a variety of abundant wild animals, Tanzania is unquestionably one of the best tourist destinations of the world. The country's lands have time immemorial been the hunting place for humankind where trade in wildlife products (especially ivory and rhinoceros horn) along the East Coast commenced as early as 100.A.D.

The wildlife of Tanzania comprises of a unique natural heritage and a resource that is of great importance both nationally and internationally. The rich and diverse spectrum of fauna that consist of a wide variety of unique species and sub-species are found in the savanna grasslands. The unique and abundant wildlife species found in Tanzania have attracted a multitude of zoologists, conservationists, ecologists and anthropologists, among many others. The country's wildlife resource has also been the driving force behind the evolution of the hunting industry - the main focus of this paper.

Tanzania's hunting industry has gone through diverse social, economic, political and cultural epochs. The history and evolution of the industry, therefore, has been shaped by a number of transformations. These developed at various paces depending on a number of factors. In their varying degrees of development, the transformations have shaped the main framework regulating the country's hunting industry today. An analysis of the various epochs through which the hunting industry of Tanzania can be traced would now be undertaken. This exploration would shed light on some of the salient features in the historical development of the hunting industry. The analysis will also set a more solid foundation for a better understanding of the pertinent issues and intricacies in the law and institutional framework governing the industry.

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