The AfricanBioServices project held its first stakeholders’meeting involving all the partner institutions in Mugumu, Serengeti, Tanzania on 6-10 December 2015. A total of 83 participants (Annex 1) from all the 13 participating institutions attended the meeting. This provided a good opportunity for the partners to review activities that had been implemented since the project started and work plans for the next period. From these presentations, partners were asked to refine their work plans based on lessons learned from previous projects. It was agreed that this would enable the project to avoid duplicating completed work.
Group photo at the consortium meeting. Photo: Frode Fossøy/NINA
Each work package convened break-out meetings to review their work plans in more detail and identify teams and contact persons that would be responsible for their tasks. These meetings identified communication and internal coordination as being key challenges that had slowed progress. Teams therefore made plans for periodic meetings for instance through teleconferences where they could share progress reports and review their work plans. Plate 2 shows the meeting convened by Work Package 1 as an example.
Side meeting convened by Work Package 1. Photo: Bernard Bett/ILRI
One of the most interesting sessions of the meeting was a general discussion forum between the consortium members and a number of stakeholders that had been invited to participate the meeting.
These stakeholders included:
| • Mr. Seth Ayo | Manager, Maswa Game Reserve, Tanzania |
| • Mr. Dominant Sawe | Representing Bunda District Executive Director, Tanzania |
| • Mr. James Sindiyo | Narok Wildlife Forum, Kenya |
| • Mr. Elibariki Bajuta | District Game Officer, Ngorongoro, representing the District Executive Director, Tanzania |
| • Mr. Dickson Mrema | Assistant Project Manager Ikorongo- Grumeti Game Reserve, Tanzania |
| • Mr. Willy Loigero | Chief Officer Narok County Government, Kenya |
| • Mr. Moses Ole Kuyioni | Chief Park Warden Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya |
| • Mr. William Mwakilema | Chief Park Warden, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania |
| • Mr. Rogastian Msafiri | Chief Human Resources and Administration Officer, TAWIRI |
Discussions held were structured under three topics: (i) clarifying the objectives and design of the project, (ii) identifying ways of disseminating the project outputs more effectively, and (iii) defining the role of the project Management Policy. This forum allowed the stakeholders to learn more about the project as they sought clarifications on several issues including criteria that were used for selecting the study sites and how the project would address livestock movement. The forum also identified some of the ways of disseminating the project outputs including involvement of schools, religious organizations, use of exchange visits, and supporting income generating activities especially those implemented by women groups.
The general discussion session helped to define some of the roles of Management Policy platform. Its scope was defined to include the identification of challenges that have compromised successful implementation of the existing policies on sustainable use of resources within the study area, and prioritising those that could be addressed by the project. An interesting example on the utilization of revenues from some of the Mara conservancies was discussed. The project learned that part of the revenues generated from the conservancies was being used to purchase more livestock, and as the livestock population increased, the buffer zones were being encroached upon for livestock grazing. This was expected to introduce more pressure on the natural resources that these conservancies sought to protect. More work will be done to understand these dynamics from a multidisciplinary perspective.
The last session was a General Assembly (GA) convened on the last day of the meeting to review all the recommendations made throughout the meeting. The GA proposed that each institution needed to develop more detailed descriptions of the activities they intended to do under each work package. These will include setting out specific research questions, hypotheses, expected outcomes and time lines. The GA also recommended that causal links connecting the research questions and hypotheses within and across the work packages needed to be described clearly.
The next partners meeting will be held in Kenya in Narok County in February 2017.
Bernard Bett, ILRI
Annex 1: Participants of the AfricanBioServices project’s stakeholders meeting held at the Giraffe hotel, Mugumu on 6-10 December, 2015
S/N |
Name |
Title |
Institution |
|
| 1 | Ahmed Mustafa | Driver | ILRI | a.mustafamaalim@cgiar.org |
| 2 | Ally Nkwabi | Researcher | TAWIRI | ally.nkwabi@tawiri.or.tz |
| 3 | Angela Mwakatobe | Researcher | TAWIRI | a_mwakatobe_99@yahoo.com |
| 4 | Bård G. Stokke | Researcher | NTNU | bard.g.stokke@ntnu.no |
| 5 | Benson S. Kamaamia | Driver | Narok Wildlife Forum | |
| 6 | Bente Graae | Professor | NTNU | bente.j.graae@ntnu.no |
| 7 | Bernard Bett | Scientist | ILRI | b.bett@cgiar.org |
| 8 | Bukombe John | Researcher | TAWIRI | johnbukombe@googlemail.com |
| 9 | Daniel Mutiso | Mr | ILRI | danielmutiso8@gmail.com |
| 10 | Dennis Rentsch | Project Leader | FZS | dennis.rentsch@fzs.org |
| 11 | Devolent Mtui | Researcher | TAWIRI | deovolentem@gmail.com |
| 12 | Dickson J. Mrema | SGW | Ikorongo-Grumeti | dx88tz@yahoo.com |
| 13 | Dominant Sawe | For District Executive Director-Bunda | Bunda District Council | doisanttz@gmail.com |
| 14 | Edward P.M. Ojema | Cartographer | DRSRS | edwardmojema@yahoo.com |
| 15 | Eivin Røskaft | Professor | NTNU | eivin.roskaft@ntnu.no |
| 16 | Elibariki Bajuta | Wildlife Officer | Ngorongoro District Council | elibajuta@gmail.com |
| 17 | Emilian Mayemba | Field assistant | Grongen | mayembae15@gmail.com |
| 18 | Emillian Kihwele | Ecologist | TANAPA-SENAPA | kihwele@gmail.com |
| 19 | Erick P. Urio | Driver | TAWIRI | |
| 20 | Ernest E. Mjingo | Researcher | TAWIRI | eblate.ernest@gmail.com |
| 21 | Evalyn Sevuri | Planning Officer | UDOM | evesaidi@yahoo.com |
| 22 | Flora Fabian | Professor | UDOM | proffabian29@gmail.com |
| 23 | Flora Magige | Senior Lecturer | UDSM | magige@udsm.ac.tz |
| 24 | Francis Wanyoike | Mr | ILRI | f.wanyoike@cgiar.org |
| 25 | Frank Kaswamila | Mr | Maswa Game Reserve | |
| 26 | Fredrick Anase | Accountant | UDSM | anasefredrick@yahoo.com |
| 27 | Frode Fossøy | Researcher | NTNU | frode.fossoy@ntnu.no |
| 28 | Gabriel L. Mjema | Accountant | UDOM | leason_84@yahoo.com |
| 29 | Gerald Mafuru | GIS Officer | SENAPA | gerald.mafuru@tanzaniaparks.com |
| 30 | Gine R. Skjærvø | Researcher | NTNU | gine.skjarvo@bio.ntnu.no |
| 31 | Gordon Ojwang | Scientist | DRSRS | gordonojwang@gmail.com |
| 32 | Grant Hopcraft | Researcher Fellow | University, Glasgow | grant.hopcraft@glasgow.ac.uk |
| 33 | Grayson G. Mwakalebe | Researcher | TAWIRI | gmwakalebe@yahoo.com |
| 34 | Gundula Bartzke | Researcher | Univ. of Hohenheim | gundula.bartzke@uni-hohenheim.de |
| 35 | Hadia Hajji | Office Management Secretary | TAWIRI | hadiahaji25@gmail.com |
| 36 | Hamza Kija | Researcher | TAWIRI | hamza01kija@yahoo.com |
| 37 | Han Olff | Professor | Univ. Groningen | h.olff@rug.nl |
| 38 | Harold Basinda | Chief Accountant | TAWIRI | harold.basinda@tawiri.or.tz |
| 39 | Idd I. Masarange | Driver | SENAPA | |
| 40 | Inger de Jonge | Researcher | Univ. Groningen | i.k.de.jonge@rug.nl |
| 41 | Itael S. Nassary | Accountant | TAWIRI | inassary5@gmail.com |
| 42 | Jafari R. Kideghesho | Professor | SUA | kideghesho@yahoo.com |
| 43 | James Odeck | Professor | NTNU | james.odeck@ntnu.no |
| 44 | James S. Sindiyo | Member | Narok Wildlife Forum | sindiyojames@yahoo.com |
| 45 | James Speed | Scientist | NTNU | james.speed@ntnu.no |
| 46 | Janemary Ntalwila | Researcher | TAWIRI | jntalwila@yahoo.com |
| 47 | Joke Bakker | Researcher | Univ. Groningen | joke-bakker@rug.nl |
| 48 | Joseph M. Mukeka | GIS Modeller | KWS | Jmukeka@kws.go.ke |
| 49 | Joseph O. Ogutu | Statistician | UHOH | jogutu2007@gmail.com |
| 50 | Julius Keyyu | Researcher | TAWIRI | julius.keyyu@gmail.com |
| 51 | Julius W. Nyahongo | Professor | UDOM | nyhwjulius@yahoo.co.uk |
| 52 | Juma Mkwizu | Driver | TAWIRI | |
| 53 | Kjetil Bevanger | Scientific Advisor | NINA | kjetilbevanger@nina.no |
| 54 | Lucy Njino | Principal Geoinformational Officer | DRSRS | lnjino@gmail.com |
| 55 | Machoke Mwita | Researcher | TAWIRI | machoke@gmail.com |
| 56 | Majaliwa N. Ndelani | Game warden | Ikorongo-Grumeti | |
| 57 | Maria Mngulwi | Asst. Lecturer | SUA | mariamngulwi@suanet.ac.tz |
| 58 | Martin R. Nielsen | Researcher | IFRO/KU | mrni@ifro.ku.dk |
| 59 | Maulid Pemba | Driver | NDC-Loliondo | maulidkakai@yahoo.com |
| 60 | Merceline A. Ojwala | Technical Officer | DRSRS | maselineawuor@gmail.com |
| 61 | Michiel Veldhuis | Researcher | Univ. of Groningen | m.p.veldhuis@rug.nl |
| 62 | Moses P. Kuyioni | Chief Park Warden | Narok County Government | mpkuyioni@yahoo.com |
| 63 | Norman Owena Smith | Professor | Wits University | rman.owen-smith@wits.ac.za |
| 64 | Onesmo Mwakabejela | Driver | TAWIRI | |
| 65 | Ophery O. Ilomo | Chief Lab. Scientist | UDSM | ilomo67@gmail.com |
| 66 | Othman C. Othman | Professor | UDSM | o_chande@yahoo.co.uk |
| 67 | Pius Y. Kavana | Researcher | TAWIRI | pykavana@gmail.com |
| 68 | Raphael Katte | Driver | DC-Mugumu | |
| 69 | Richard D. Lyamuya | Research Officer | TAWIRI | lyamuyarichard2004@yahoo.com |
| 70 | Richard Ndaskoi | Driver | TAWIRI | |
| 71 | Robert Fyumagwa | Director-SWRC | TAWIRI | robert.fyumagwa@gmail.com |
| 72 | Roel May | Researcher | NINA | roel.may@nina.no |
| 73 | Rogastian Msafiri | Cheif Human Resource and Administartion Officer | TAWIRI | rogastian@yahoo.com |
| 74 | Sabyasachi Mukhopadhyay | Researcher | Univ. Hohenheim | sabstat123@gmail.com |
| 75 | Sabyasachi Mukhopadhyay | Manager | Wildlife Division (Maswa G. Reserve) | sethayo@yahoo.com |
| 76 | Shombe Hassan | Professor | SUA | hassanshombe@yahoo.co.uk |
| 77 | Silvia Alonso | Researcher | ILRI | s.alonso@cgiar.org |
| 78 | Sophia Z. Constantine | Secretary-SWRC | TAWIRI | sophiaconstantine@yahoo.com |
| 79 | Stuart W. Smith | Researcher | NTNU | stuart.smith@ntnu.no |
| 80 | Vedasto Ndibalema | Asst. Professor | SUA | ndibalema@suanet.ac.tz |
| 81 | Victor Nzagi | Driver | DC-Bunda | |
| 82 | William S. Mwakilema | Chief Park Warden | SENAPA | william.mwakilema@tanzaniaparks.com |
| 83 | Willy Loigero | Chief Officer Tourism and Wildlife | Narok County Government | willyloigero@gmail.com |