Drivers of land cover changes and impacts on conservation of protected area buffer zones, Tanzania

A significant decline in forest and wooded grassland cover, particularly between 1998 and 2015, was observed in buffer zones adjacent to Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve. This study highlights rapid conversion of natural landscapes to bare land, settlements, and cultivation, driven by factors such as charcoal burning, shifting cultivation, logging, and population growth—especially pronounced in Masaki ward near Dar-es-salaam. The findings underscore threats to the reserve's buffer zones, rural livelihoods, and biodiversity conservation, emphasizing the need for sustainable resource management policies to mitigate these impacts.

Nyanda, H. (2015). Drivers of land cover changes and impacts on conservation of protected area buffer zones, Tanzania. Charles Darwin University. https://doi.org/10.25913/9DAW-7V19