Over the past quarter, CWMAC has significantly deepened its policy engagement at the national level, shifting from technical consultations to strategic, outcome-oriented dialogue. Central to this shift are the real and persistent challenges faced by Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) including delayed revenue disbursements, unclear legal mandates, and unresolved land tenure disputes.
In May 2025, following a series of high-level consultations with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, CWMAC successfully advocated for critical reforms that directly address these concerns. A major outcome was the enactment of the Governance Finance Act of 2025, which mandates that both hunting and photographic tourism revenues be collected by the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA) on behalf of WMAs, replacing the former arrangement with the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), which often delayed revenue flow due to bureaucratic bottlenecks. This change is expected to significantly streamline revenue access for WMAs, improving financial autonomy and operational efficiency at the community level.
In a parallel success, Parliament also approved the reduction of Nyerere National Park’s boundaries, restoring village land that had been absorbed during the previous Nyerere-Selous boundary demarcation. This decision allows five WMAs in the Ruvuma Landscape to reclaim areas already designated for conservation, with land use plans and investor infrastructure in place before the park expansion. It marks a landmark community victory which is the result of unified advocacy, data-driven evidence, and consistent policy engagement.
These legislative milestones were made possible with continued support from WWF through the Leading the Change and BMZ Unganisha initiatives, and from the European Union through the KUWA project. Together, these efforts reaffirm that when communities are informed, organized, and supported, conservation reform is not only possible but also inevitable.