Preserving Tanzania's natural heritage through visionary conservation, community partnership, and sustainable tourism excellence.
Our Legacy
From humble beginnings to global leadership in wildlife protection and sustainable tourism
Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) has been the guardian of Tanzania's natural heritage for over six decades. Our journey began with a simple mission: protect the incredible biodiversity of this beautiful nation for future generations.
Advanced patrolling, scientific monitoring, and habitat restoration across diverse ecosystems
Education, benefit sharing, and sustainable enterprise development near protected areas
World-class wildlife viewing with highest safety standards and professional guiding
Climate-resilient conservation and eco-friendly tourism practices
Our Journey
Key moments that shaped Tanzania's conservation legacy
The history of Tanzania National Parks is rooted in early conservation efforts introduced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A major breakthrough came in 1951 when Serengeti National Park was officially gazzeted, becoming the first National park in Tanganyika. Following Tanganyika Independence in 1961, the young nation prioritized sustainable wildlife as a part of its natural heritage preservation Agenda. Meanwhile in September 1961 at a symposium on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the late first President of Tanzania Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere gave a speech that laid the foundation for the conservation in post- independent Tanzania. The extract of that speech has become known as “The Arusha Manifesto”.
In 1965, the National Park Ordinance CAP (412) of 1959 was strengthened to provide more robust on legal framework for protected areas. This paved way for the official establishment of the Tanzania National Parks Authority in 1966, transforming conservation from a colonial program into a sovereign and nationally driven institution.
Currently, TANAPA is governed by the National Parks Act Chapter 282 of the 2002 revised edition of the laws of the United Republic of Tanzania. Conservation in Tanzania is governed by Wild Life Conservation Act of 1974, which allows the government to establish the protected areas and outlines how they are organized and managed National Parks represents the highest level of resource protection that can be provided. By September 2019, TANAPA has grown to 21 national Parks, covering approximately 99,306.5 square Kilometers.
The 1970’s and 1980’s marked the first major phase of expansion for Tanzania National Parks Networks. During this period several key parks including Arusha, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Mikumi and Rubondo were consolidated or newly gazetted. TANAPA also embarked on the country’s large-scale anti-poaching operations to counter increasing threats to wildlife populations. Important tourism infrastructure began to emerge, positioning Tanzania to as a growing safari destination while simultaneously enhancing ecological protection across multiple landscapes. On 1974 the new governing laws were enacted notably Wild life Conservation Act of 1974 which provides the government with strong powers to establish and manage protected areas underpinning TANAPA’s authority.
TANAPA invested in essential infrastructure like roads, airstrip and gates to facilitate park management, ranger training and the growing tourism industry supported by donations and government focus. TANAPA switch the conservation focus towards national policy, emphasizing conservation for future generations as outlined in Arusha Manifesto principles linking wildlife to national heritage and revenue. Following the global attention from “Serengeti shall never die", the 1970’s saw TANAPA manage increasing tourist flows, with national parks becoming central to Tanzania’s economic strategy through safari tourism.
In 1990’s TANAPA endorsed its path towards community focus by shifting from “fences and fines” to community-based conservation (CBC), launching programs like community conservation services (CCS) and “Ujirani Mwema” (Good Neighborliness) to build trust, share tourism benefits like schools/clinics and involve locals in conservation, changing wildlife from a liability to an asset by improving park-community relations. Program such as SCIP (Support for Community Initiated Projects) channeled tourism revenue to fund community identified development projects (education, health, water), giving communities a stake in conservation success. By providing benefits and increasing engagement, TANAPA aimed to change how locals viewed wildlife from a problem (crop-raider) to a valuable resource, turning “liability into an asset”.
In 2000’s TANAPA modernized by focusing heavily on tourism development (diversifying products, building infrastructure like lodges/airstrips), enhancing management via international standards (ISO certification), adopting participatory planning (stakeholder involvement) and leveraging technology for conservation and revenue for instance fee structure, all while balancing economic growth with sustainable resource protection for its expanding network of parks.
During this phase new tourism activities were developed to enhance visitors experience like hiking and cultural tourism, as well promoting parks internationally and domestically to boost revenue as tourism was vital for GDP. The management Standards were improved to gear stricter quality control as ISO 9001:2015 certification for key park centers achieved. In advance participatory planning for general management plans (GMPs) with stakeholders (government, hotels, NGOs, communities) was adopted.
TANAPA received donations (vehicles, aircraft) to train rangers in modern conservation techniques as a result of conservation technological and techniques advancement. Like wise implemented fire management plans and addressed water crises using ecohydrology principles.
In the 2020s, TANAPA transformed towards innovation by embracing digital tools like the “TANAPA GO app”, social media platforms mobilization at attracting significant investment (e.g., from $1.8M to $56M FDI), fostering community-led conservation through programs like “SCIPs” (reducing human-wildlife conflict), and investing in new tourism experiences (cable cars, ziplines) while focusing on sustainable revenue for conservation, aligning with national goals for tourism growth and diversification.
Actively seeking investments in unique experiences like canopy walkways, zip lines, cable cars, and water sports to diversify offerings beyond traditional safaris. Running workshops to empower local leaders and residents to become advocates for conservation, shifting attitudes towards sustainability. Developing educational materials (journals and magazines) to build a future generation of conservationists.
Witnessed significant revenue increases, linked to rebounding tourism and innovative investment strategies, funding conservation efforts. Offering special tourism concessions to attract private sector investment in sustainable tourism facilities
Foundational Vision
Voices that shaped the nation’s long-standing commitment to protecting wildlife and wild places.
1st President of Tanzania
The survival of our wildlife is a matter of grave concern to all of us in Africa. These wild creatures and the wild places they inhabit are an integral part of our natural resources and our future livelihood and well-being. We declare that we will do everything in our power to ensure our children’s grandchildren can enjoy this precious inheritance.
3rd President of Tanzania
Benjamin Mkapa spoke about conservation by framing it as a crucial component of Africa's socio-economic development, advocating for the protection of wildlife and natural resources as a global and national duty. He argued against the perception of conservation as separate from development, emphasizing that a sustainable "green economy" depends on balancing human needs with environmental protection. He also championed the fight against poaching by calling for an international ban on the ivory trade and stressed the interconnectedness of ecosystems and human well-being.
Our Prints
Celebrating decades of conservation success and global recognition
Multiple international awards recognizing excellence in conservation and sustainable tourism practices.
Successful conservation of endangered species and preservation of diverse ecosystems across Tanzania.
Through the Lens
Capturing the beauty and dedication behind Tanzania's protected areas
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