Tanzania Conservation Research Program

Tanzania has some of the most iconic national parks globally and supports incredible biodiversity, being home to the largest populations of lions, wild dogs, zebras, giraffes, hippos, and leopards in Africa. The country also has the highest number of threatened species in Africa and is therefore a critical country for global wildlife conservation. The Lincoln Park Zoo has been supporting projects in Tanzania since 1995 and has collaborated with conservation partners in the country since 2005.

The zoo’s Tanzania Conservation Research Program (TCRP) has focused on monitoring wildlife populations, protecting wildlife from disease transmission from domestic animals, understanding and reducing human-wildlife conflict, and protecting critical wildlife migration corridors in northern Tanzania.

“Tanzania is probably the most important country in the world for wildlife conservation. It has some of the most iconic national parks globally. It also has incredible biodiversity, with large numbers of lions, wild dog, zebras, giraffes, hippos, and leopards. But it also has the most threatened species in Africa.”

– Charles Foley, Ph.D., Senior Conservation Scientist with the Tanzania Conservation Research Program

Area of Focus

Community Partnerships

The Tanzania Conservation Research Program works with partners in Tanzania to protect land for local livelihoods and wildlife, increase tolerance toward wildlife on community lands, and help communities benefit from living alongside wildlife. For example, in the Tarangire ecosystem in northern Tanzania, zoo scientists work with local partners to preserve unrestricted movement of wildlife and livestock across the ecosystem, thereby safeguarding the integrity of one of the largest wildlife migrations in Africa.

Using Science to Inform Management Decisions

Zoo scientists conduct demographic and population analyses for elephants and lions in northern Tanzania to determine the long-term dynamics and health of these populations. The program also uses satellite image analysis and digital mapping to identify barriers to wildlife movement within wildlife migration corridors to help inform land conservation priorities and management strategies.

Biodiversity Monitoring

Working with partners, the program monitors the distribution of large mammals across Tanzania and supports a national database for mammal records. This information has been used to inform national wildlife conservation strategies, upgrade protected areas, and help park managers better understand the mammal biodiversity within their areas.

Science Projects

In the Wild, Helping People and Wildlife Coexist

Collaborating with KopeLion

In the Wild, Helping People and Wildlife Coexist

Serengeti Health Initiative (2006-2018)

Partners

Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI)
Ujamaa Community Resource Team
Zoological Society of London
KopeLion

Supporters

Indianapolis Zoo
Woodland Park Zoo
Reid Park Zoo
Fresno Chaffee Zoo
Dallas Zoo
Roger Williams Park Zoo
Birmingham Zoo
Naples Zoo
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium

Publications

Lobora, A.L., C.L. Nahonyo, L.K. Munishi, T. Caro, C. Foley, J.G. Prunier, C.M. Beale, L.S. Eggert. 2018. Incipient signs of genetic differentiation among African elephant populations in fragmenting miombo ecosystems in south-western Tanzania. African Journal of Ecology 1-10.
Jones, T., J. Cusack, R. Pozo, J. Smit, L. Mkuburo, P. Baran, A. Lobora, S. Mduma, C. Foley. 2018. Age structure as an indicator of poaching pressure: Insights from rapid assessments of elephant populations across space and time. Ecological Indicators 88:115-125.
Lobora, A.L., C.L. Nahonyo, L.K. Munishi, T. Caro, C. Foley, C.M. Beale. 2017. Modeling habitat conversion in miombo woodlands: insights from Tanzania. Journal of Land Use Science 12(5):391-403.
Davenport, T.R.B., S. Fakih, S. Kimiti, L. Kleine, L. Foley, D. DeLuca. 2017. Zanzibar’s endemic red colobus Pilicolous kirkii: first systematic and total assessment of population, demography, and distribution. Oryx, 1-9. doi:10.1017/S003060531700148X.
Morrison, T., W. Link, W. Newmark, C.A.H. Foley, D. Bolger. 2016. Tarangire revisited: Consequences of declining connectivity in a tropical ungulate population. Biological Conservation 197: 53-60.
Durant, S.M., Becker, M.S., Creel, S., Bashir, S., Dickman, A.J., Beudels-Jamar, R.C., Lichtenfeld, L., Hilborn, R., Wall, J., Wittemyer, G., Badamjav L., Blake, S., Boitani, L., Breitenmoser, C., Broekhuis, F., Christianson, D., Cozzi, G., Davenport, T.R.B., Deutsch, J., Devillers, P., Dollar, L., Dolrenry, S., Douglas-Hamilton, I., Dröge, E., FitzHerbert, E., Foley, C., Hazzah, L., Hopcraft, J.G.C., Ikanda, D., Jacobson, A., Joubert, D., Kelly, M.J., Milanzi, J., Mitchell, N., M’Soka, J., Msuha, M., Mweetwa, T., Nyahongo, J., Rosenblatt, E., Schuette, P., Sillero-Zubiri, C., Sinclair, A.R.E., Stanley-Price, M. R., Zimmermann, A., Pettorelli, N. 2015. Developing fencing policies for dryland ecosystems. Journal of Applied Ecology: 52:3.
Foley, C., Foley, L., Lobora, A., De Luca, D., Msuha, M., Davenport, T.R.B., Durant, S. 2014. A field guide to the Larger Mammals of Tanzania. Princeton University Press, Princeton.
Ingram, J.C., D. Wilkie, T. Clements, R.B. McNab, F. Nelson, E.H. Baur, H.T. Sachedina, D.D. Peterson, C.A.H. Foley. 2014. Evidence of Payments for Ecoystem Services as a mechanism for supporting biodiversity conservation and rural livelihoods. Ecosystem Services 7: 10-21.
Ahlering, M., F. Hailer, M. T. Roberts, C.A.H. Foley. 2011. A simple and accurate method to sex savannah, forest and Asian elephants using non-invasive sampling techniques. Molecular Ecology Resources 11: 831-834.
TAWIRI. 2010. Tanzania Elephant Management Plan: 2010-2015. S. Mduma, A. Lobora, C. Foley, T. Jones (eds.). Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, Arusha, Tanzania.
Dobson, A., M. Borner, A. Sinclair, P. Hudson, T.M. Anderson, G. Bigurube, T. Davenport, J. Deutsch, S. Durant, R. Estes, A. Estes, J. Fryxell, C. Foley, M. Gadd, D. Haydon, R. Holdo, R. Hilborn, G. Jambiya, M.K. Laurenson, L. Melamari, A. Ole Morindat, J. Ogutu, G. Schaller, E. Wolanski. 2010. Road will ruin Serengeti. Nature 467: 272-274.
Durant, S., Craft, M., Foley, C.A.H., Hampson, K., Lobora, A., Msuha, M., Eblate, E., Bukombe, J., Mchetto, J., Pettorelli, N. 2010. Does size matter? An investigation of habitat use across a carnivore assemblage in the Serengeti, Tanzania. Journal of Animal Ecology 79(5): 1012-1022.
Durant, S., and Foley, C.A.H (Eds.) (2009) A national plan for mammal conservation in Tanzania. Final report to Darwin Initiative. November 1st 2005 – February 7th 2009. Tanzania Mammal Atlas Project. ZSL, TAWIRI.
Hedges, S., R. Beyers, S. Blake, I. Douglas-Hamilton, M. Fay, D. Greer, V. Fishlock, C. Foley, F. Grossmann, J. Hart, T. Hart, C. Hicks, S. Lahm, P. Lee, K. Lindsay, F. Maisels, C. Moss, S. Nixon, A. Plumptre, J. Poole, H. Rainey, I. Redmond, M. Starkey, E. Stokes, A. Turkalo, and G. Wittemyer. (2009). The Status of African Elephants (Loxodonta africana) in the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: A Critique. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
Pettorelli, N., A. L. Lobora, M. J. Mshua, C.A.H. Foley, S.M. Durant. 2009. Carnivore biodiversity in Tanzania: revealing the distribution patterns of secretive mammals using camera traps. Animal Conservation 13:131-139.
Foley, C.A.H and L. Faust. 2010. Rapid population growth in an elephant (Loxodonta africana) population recovering from poaching in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania. Oryx 44(2): 205-212.
Nelson, F., C. Foley, L. Foley, A. Leposo, E. Loure, D. Peterson, M. Peterson, T. Peterson, H. Sachedina, A. Williams. 2009. Payments for Ecosystem Services as a Framework for Community-Based Conservation in Northern Tanzania. Conservation Biology 24(1): 78-85.
TAWIRI. 2009. Tanzania Carnivore Conservation Action Plan. S.M Durant, C.A.H. Foley, A. Lobora, M. Msuha, S. Mduma, L. Foley (eds.). Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, Arusha, Tanzania.Foley, C., N. Pettorelli, L. Foley. 2008. Severe drought and calf survival in elephants. Biology Letters 4(5): 541-544.
Ishengoma, D., A. Shedlock, C.A.H. Foley, L. Foley, S. Wasser, S. Balthazary, B. Mutayoba. 2008. Effects of poaching on bull mating success in free-ranging African elephant (Loxodonta africana) population of Tarangire National Park, Tanzania. Conservation Genetics 9:247-255.
Stanley, William T. and Charles A.H. Foley, 2008. A survey of the small mammals of Minziro Forest, Tanzania, with several additions to the known fauna of the country. Mammalia 72:116–122.
Svadlenak-Gomez, K., T. Clements, C. Foley, N. Kazakov, D. Miquelle, R. Stenhouse. 2007. Paying for Results: The WCS Experience with Direct Incentives for Conservation. In Protected Areas and Human Livelihoods, K. Redford and E. Fearn (ed.). WCS Working Paper No 32: 117-129.
E.A Archie, T.A Morrison, C.A.H. Foley, C.J. Moss, S.C. Alberts. 2006. Dominance rank relationships among wild female African elephants (Loxodonta africana). Animal Behaviour 71:117-127.
Foley, C.A.H. 2003. Demographic changes in the Tarangire elephant population from 1993-2003. In eds. W.D. Semuguruka, M.N. Mgasa., L.J.M. Kusiluka, G. Nkwengulila, B. Nyundo, C.O. Mlingwa, G. Sabuni, S. Mduma, and J.D. Keyyu, Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Scientific Conference; TAWIRI, Arusha, Dec. 3-5, 2002. Pp 76-89.
Foley, C.A.H. 2002. The Effects of Poaching on Elephant Social Systems. PhD thesis. Princeton University. pp.192.
Foley, C.A.H. 2002. High incidence of elephant twin births in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania. Pachyderm 32:64-66.
L. Foley. 2002. The Influence of Environmental Factors and Human Activity on Elephant Distribution. MSc thesis. International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation (ITC).
Foley, C.A.H., S. Papageorge, S.K. Wasser. 2001. Non-invasive stress and reproductive measures of social and ecological pressures in free-ranging African elephants (Loxodonta africana). Conservation Biology 15(4):1134-1142.
Galanti, V., R. Rossi, G. Tosi, C.A.H. Foley, and L. Foley. 2000. Elephant Capture, Collaring and Radio-Tracking in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania. Pachyderm 28:58-59.
Galanti, V., G. Tosi, R. Rossi, C.A.H. Foley. 2000. The use of GPS radio-collars to track elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Tarangire National Park (Tanzania). Hystrix 11(2):1-11.
Van de Vijver, C., C.A.H. Foley and H. Olff. 1999. Changes in the woody component of an East African savanna during 25 years. Journal of Tropical Ecology 15:545-564.
Wasser, S.K., S. Papageorge, C.A.H. Foley, J.L. Brown. 1996. Excretory fate of estradiol and progesterone in the African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) and patterns of fecal steroid concentrations throughout the estrous cycle. General and Comparative Endocrinology 102:255-262.
Grimshaw, J.M., N.J. Cordeiro and C.A.H. Foley. 1995. The mammals of Kilimanjaro. Journal of East African Natural History 84:105-139.
Newmark, W.D., C.A.H. Foley, J.M. Grimshaw, O.R. Chambegga & A.G. Rutazaa. 1991. Local extinctions of large mammals within Kilimanjaro National Park and Forest Reserve and implications of increasing isolation and forest conversion. In The Conservation of Mount Kilimanjaro, W.D. Newmark (ed.). IUCN: Gland & Cambridge, pp. 35-46.
Grimshaw, J.M. and C.A.H. Foley. 1991. Kilimanjaro Elephant Project 1990 Final Report. 122pp. Friends of Conservation: London.
Cameron, R., C. Wiltshire, C. Foley, N. Dougherty, X. Aramoyo, and L. Rea. 1989. Goeldi’s monkey and other primates in Northern Bolivia. Primate Conservation 10:62-70.

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