Abstract:
Countries’ authorities that managing unfenced protected areas (PAs) as
an effort to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem services, airs
challenges of climate change and variability which disturb habitat and
force wildlife to move to other unprotected areas for adaptation
purposes. This scenario necessited the inclusion of those adapted areas
into PAs network and recategorise the abandoned areas in the PAs. The
unprotected areas include wildlife corridors which connects two or
more PAs within the country or transboundary areas famously known
as transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs). However, corridor
dwellers especially in developing countries unsustainably utilizing
corridor fauna and flora for their livelihoods. This paper explains the
less known amount of biomass loss and carbon released to the
atmosphere as result of habitat conversion of eastern Selous – Niassa
wildlife corridor which connecting the two PAs of Tanzania and
Mozambique. Specifically, the study estimates amount of biomass loss,
amount of carbon released to the atmosphere and amount of
conservation profit disposed as a result of habitat conversion from 1986
to 2016. Existing data on spatial and temporal changes in land use and
land cover of eastern Selous – Niassa TFCA from 1986 – 2016 was
analysed to get intended results. The results reveled that, an
average
amount of 163732.8 tons of biomass (above ground + below ground +
deadwood) loss annually from 1986 to 2016. Consequently, average
amount of 240176.9 tons of carbon (above ground + below ground +
deadwood) released to the atmosphere annually from 1986 to 2016
equivalent to US$ 960707.5 per annum if REDD+ was implemented.
The amount of conservation profit of the area seems to offset amount of
benefit received by corridor dwellers from their destructive activities if
adopted REDD+ strategies. The foreseeable future necessitates
inclusion of the area into core PAs, however, there is a cost which the
government must incur in order to safeguard the adaptation scenarios of
wildlife suffered from climate change and variability in core PAs
