Grade 5 students in Tanzania investigated challenges facing wildlife in Mikumi and Udzungwa National Parks. Poaching reduces animal populations, endangering species and tourism revenue. Many animals are killed on roads due to speeding vehicles and food dropped by trucks. Habitat loss is also an issue as more land is used for farming and charcoal production. The students made suggestions in letters to the Ministry of Natural Resources such as providing compensation for crop raiding, improving fencing and roads, anti-poaching efforts, alternative energy sources to reduce deforestation, and tree planting to help conserve these important biodiversity areas.

1. Grade 5LS TAKES ACTION!
How can we help people live in harmony
with wild animals in Mikumi and Udzungwa???

2. The Problems of Living Things Trying
to Share the Same Resources

3. Poaching and Destruction
Wild animals are poached
for their tusks, skins and
meat!
This means that some
animals are endangered and
poachers are armed with
guns and other dangerous
weapons.
Less animals means…
Less tourists means…
Less money and jobs for
Tanzania!

4. What’s happening on the roads of
Mikumi???
Many animals are killed on the road because of
speeding cars which is caused by not enough SPEED
BUMPS!
We have also learnt that animals get killed on the
roads because of lorries dropping food they’re
carrying. As a result animals can get sick from
eating the food.

5. What’s going on in Udzungwa??
We discovered that there’s more farm land
than trees in Udzungwa, so there isn’t
enough land space for natural habitat.
Trees are being chopped down to make
charcoal. Did you know that it takes 3 huge
trees to make one bag of charcoal???

6. We saw beautiful Colobus monkeys who have a
right to live peacefully in the habitat of
Udzundwa. Did you know that Udzungwa is one
of only 32 Biodiversity hotspots in the world???
A biodiversity
hotspot is a
special area which
has lots of rare
animals, plants,
birds and insects
living in it and is
under threat from
human
destruction!

7. Mikumi Village
• Villagers crops are raided by wild animals
• Elephants and other animals destroy
water supplies when there is a draught
• Children are sometimes prevented going
to school when elephants are on the road

8. To try and stop elephants from eating
their crops, the villagers make chili
bombs which explode with chili and
elephant dung when they are touched.
Elephants don’t like chili!!!

9. How we can help
Udzungwa and Mikumi?
Grade 5LS wrote letters to the Ministry of Land and
Natural Resources. Our suggestions were:
• Give villagers money who lose vital crops from
elephant invasion
• Help villagers to build strong fencing to protect
their crops
• Add more speed bumps to the roads
• Educate people on the importance of preserving
the national parks
• Give villagers the opportunity to have training and
jobs within the national parks

10. • Help villagers install water pumps which can’t be
invaded by wild animals
• Make security checks for weapons in cars as these can
be used to arm poachers who kill animals
• More money and equipment given to game wardens to
help them STOP POACHING!
• Stop deforestation by helping villagers to buy gas
cookers instead of using charcoal
• Start a planting tree program around Mikumi and
Udzungwa
• Maintain the park roads so that the tourists keep
coming and create more money for the parks

11. We are waiting to have an
interview with the Minister of
Natural Resources to see what he
thinks of our suggestions –
Watch this space!
GRADE 5LS TAKES ACTION!