Refugees

The implications of unsustainable wild meat exploitation for wildlife management and livelihoods in the refugee hosting areas of north-west Tanzania are rarely acknowledged by all the relevant stakeholders. This study takes a focussed look at wild meat use in refugee situations in north-western Tanzania, associated impacts, driving forces, and the appropriateness of some of the management interventions taken to date.

Livestock are commonly kept in many refugee situations and, in many instances, form an important part of community activities. They are also a fundamental requirement in many returnee situations given the broad range of products which they can provide. This handbook is intended as a pracitcal user-guide for practioners and is expected to fill an important gap in the management tools and guidelines available to UNHCR staff and implementing partners, in particular.

Few occasions rival the circumstances experienced in a refugee situation. At the same time, overcrowded refugee camps often have an immediate effect on the surrounding environment. The urgent need for building materials, wood for cooking and heat fuel, natural remedies for sickness and food for precious livestock all have direct consequences on forests and woodlands in particular.

Little attention is given to the state of nature and natural resources in situations of armed conflict. Because of the human disaster involved, three is often a reluctance to focus on the environmental consequences. Nevertheless, there is no reason to assume that nothing can de done to conserve natural resources and biodiversity.