As in many other countries, wildlife crime in Tanzania was fueled by porous borders, weak legislation, non-deterrent penalties, and ineffective law enforcement, which made the country susceptible to corruption. In responding to this challenge, the Government of Tanzania established the National Taskforce Anti-Poaching (NTAP) and amended the Economic and Organized Crime Control Act (EOCCA 2016) to include wildlife cases as economic crimes, in order to allow for stronger penalties. Further, the government responded to international pressure to comply with international treaties by developing, passing, and operationalizing the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulations in Zanzibar. The regulations addressed growing concerns that Zanzibar was a major ivory-smuggling hub connected to the Asian market.

Combating wildlife crime is a complex conservation challenge, and to successfully support change, the United States Agency for International Development Promoting Tanzania’s Environment, Conservation and Tourism (USAID PROTECT) activity also engaged non-traditional actors, such as the media, the private sector, parliament, etc. in conservation initiatives, in addition to a broader group of stakeholders.