Tanzania creates first protected wildlife corridor linking mountain elephants to savanna park

Savanna elephants in southern Tanzania have taken to scaling the steep slopes of the Udzungwa Mountains, seeking seasonal resources such as bamboo at elevations above 6,500 feet. To reduce the resulting clashes with farmers, Tanzania announced the Nyerere-Udzungwa Wildlife Corridor in April 2025, a 14-km protected strip that links the mountains with Nyerere National Park across the Kilombero Valley. The corridor, 200 metres wide, was created after compensating 368 landowners with nearly 2.2 billion shillings and is backed by NGOs including Fondazione Capellino, Saving Nature and the Hempel Foundation.

Camera traps have recorded 529 elephants using the route, alongside other wildlife, while reforestation efforts have already planted about 100,000 native trees, with another 50,000 planned. Challenges remain, such as elephants avoiding an underpass beneath a busy road and nearby development proposals, prompting calls for additional safeguards. Conservationists view the corridor as a model for reconnecting fragmented habitats elsewhere in Tanzania and Africa.