Assessment of Environmental Awareness, Sensitivity and Concerns of local communities towards natural Resources Conservation Surrounding Ngorongoro Forest Reserve

Abstract

Awareness of local people who live in or adjacent conservation areas are of vital significance in determining the conservation of natural resources. This is because local people are the stewards of resources found near or within the areas they live. The important thing is that, awareness does determine performance of people. In that respect, local people are held accountable for conservation of natural resources. Natural resources awareness promotes conservation of natural resources while lack of awareness is linked with issues that are opposed to conservation of the same. The rationale of this study was to assess local peoples’ awareness, sensitivity and concerns towards conservation of natural resources surrounding Ngorongoro northern highland forest reserve (NHFR) in northern Tanzania. The study design was a case study. Based on a study a total sample consisting of 199 was used. Random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used in identifying sample. Data collection methods were questionnaires, interviews and direct observation. Quantitative data were analyzed by (SPSS version 16.0 and Ms Excel while content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. The results show that respondents have high environmental awareness and are highly involved in different environmental activities and willing to participate in natural resources conservation. With regards to concerns, results showed that women possessed positive concerns towards environmental conservation although they were not fully involved in natural resources practices. The reasons for respondents’ awareness include presence of different forestry products, weather regulating role attracting rainfall, providing clean water for domestic purposes and irrigation. With regards to sensitivity, the results show that most of the respondents are sensitive to productive and protective role of natural resources (NRs), and they express their urgent need to conserve NRs so as to combat the threatening environmental evils. The study recommended that environmental awareness subject necessarily might be considered as an independent topic in regards to NHFR. Therefore the study will give emphasis on environmental awareness, concern and sensitivity in both formal and non-formal system of education. This may bring radical change among the Local community in the way of thinking, living and working. Keywords: Awareness, Concern, Sensitivity, Ngorongoro Conservation Are