About ULS
Where We Work
We focus on three core protected areas (PAs)
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Mapping by Solo Sembosi, STEP
As well as in the 71 villages adjacent to these PAs
The strategy envisions and fosters balanced support and allocation of resources for communities and PAs
Guiding Principles
Equity and inclusion
Transparency and participation
Human rights and coexistence
Foster consultation
Knowledge-sharing
Strategic Objectives (SOs)
Progress through 2025
SO1:
Protected Areas
Enhanced efficacy and conservation capacity of the three core protected areas.
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24 new rangers added to the Udzungwa landscape from start of 2025
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30 new Village Game Scouts trained, equipped joining forest patrols
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Advanced training and support for all rangers and scouts in human rights, mental health, first aid, patrol techniques, data collection
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164 poacher camps and 261 logging sites closed down in 2025
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3 new single-cabin pickups imported and equipped for patrol support
SO2:
Communities
Improved well-being, local livelihoods and participation of communities, including in ways that reduce their reliance on and improve their stewardship of forests.
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1,741 households with improved mud stoves
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30 Village Saving and Loans Association groups with 888 members
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Financial literacy training provided to all VSLA members
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First multi-village ‘Forests Cup’ awareness-raising football tournament held attracting 11,796 participants
SO3:
Collaboration & Governance
Strengthen relations between communities and protected areas, as well as promote collaborations among other stakeholders in the landscape, to ensure strong governance of the ULS.
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Strong and transparent governance structure of the ULS established, comprising Steering Committee, Secretariat and Working Groups
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Dialogue workshops between protected area managers and communities initiated
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Capacity building and training for Village Natural Resource Committees ongoing
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Mapping of spiritual and cultural sites across landscape initiated
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SO4:
Monitoring, Evaluation, & Learning (MEL)
Develop a comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning process to systematically improve the strategy
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Long-term biodiversity monitoring (primates, ground mammals, arthropods) consolidated and geographically extended
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New monitoring programmes (climate, human disturbance, forest cover change) established
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Indicators of progress and impact for all SOs identified using Theory of Change approach
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MEL Dashboard created for summarizing and sharing MEL data and results
Measuring Impact
We use a dashboard-based MEL framework to assess how ULS is making a difference for biodiversity and communities. Monitoring includes biodiversity indicators and human well-being indicators, including the STAR metric (IUCN).
How We Work
The ULS is the first strategy of its kind in Tanzania, involving multiple partners to protect biodiversity while supporting community livelihoods across the core biodiversity areas of the landscape. The strategy aims to fill critical resource gaps for both protected areas and adjacent communities, supplementing rather than replacing existing government and civil society support.
The ULS was developed in 2022–2023 through local and international collaboration to facilitate the long-term conservation of the Udzungwa Mountains landscape. With just over a fifth of the landscape legally protected, there was a need for a holistic, long-term strategy that would go beyond protected areas and encompass neighbouring land and communities.
Development was a special process because the priorities in the strategy were identified and selected from the ground up, including extensive consultations with 23 village communities, and the managers of the three protected areas working together.
