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Wildlife species exposed to habitat fragmentation are often in need of a conservation effort. The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is one of the key species in the Serengeti ecosystem as they form a large part of the herbivore biomass, providing ecotourism and valuable trophies. The ecosystem is a part of Tanzanias protected areas and is administrated under different management practices. Among these, we have analysed the genetic structure of buffalo (n = 68) from the Serengeti National Park (SNP), the Ngorongoro conservation area (NCA) and the Maswa game reserve (MGR). Both the sequence variation in a 493 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial D-loop and the allele frequency-distribution in 15 microsatellites suggest genetic structuring of the buffalo populations within the ecosystem. Both the allele frequency-distribution and the amount of genetic variation were high and similar in SNP and MGR, suggesting a high degree of gene flow between these locations. By comparison, the NCA buffaloes had significantly lower genetic variation and were genetically differentiated from SNP and MGR. Approximate Bayesian computation estimates suggest that the observed genetic structure is of a recent origin, indicating that the recent increases in developmental activity in the region may have influenced the genetic structure of the buffalo within the Serengeti ecosystem.

Sustainable wildlife management assumes thorough knowledge of the factors of importance for species population dynamics. In this study, we examined the diversity of wildlife species that are illegally harvested in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania. A total of 124 bushmeat samples were obtained from hunters, middlemen and consumers in 79 sub-villages adjacent to the protected areas in western Serengeti. The species identity was verified in 118 bushmeat samples through molecular sequencing of the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and phylogenetic assignments to established reference sequences of the respective species. The species diversity among the bushmeat samples was high with 15 identified species altogether. Wildebeest ( Connochaetes taurinus ) was clearly the most common species (n = 52), but also buffalo ( Syncerus caffer , n = 15), eland ( Tragelaphus oryx , n = 11), zebra ( Equus burchelli , n = 10), topi ( Damaliscus lunatus , n = 8) and impala ( Aepyceros melampus , n = 7) were relatively frequently identified. The correctness of the species identification given by the bushmeat providers was relatively low (59%) with error rates higher in consumers than in hunters and middlemen. This high error rate suggests that care should be taken in relying on local peoples’ information for accurate estimates of biodiversity of bushmeat utilization. Key words : Bushmeat, illegal hunting, species identification, cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequencing, western Serengeti.

Examining local awareness and perceptions of illegal resource harvesting is a difficult but necessary part of designing efficient wildlife resources conservation programs. We examined awareness and attitudes related to wildlife hunting practices among local communities in the Magu, Bunda and Serengeti districts in the western part of Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. We also examined the influences of socio-demographic variables on awareness of hunting and some of the methodological challenges linked to researching sensitive resource topics. Members of these communities were fairly aware of the occurrence of illegal hunting practices, as well as the modalities of existing law enforcement, but knowledge about legal hunting systems was limited. The extent of awareness of these practices and attitudes towards them were significantly affected by age, gender, and level of education, with limited awareness observed among women and those with higher education levels. Observed challenges were mostly related to respondents' attitudes and sensitivity to illegal wildlife uses, including fear to disclose information and non-responses to specific questions. The relatively extensive awareness of illegal hunting practices probably reflects community members' involvement in illegal wildlife use. Improved education programs are needed as well as provision of alternative livelihood opportunities that may decrease dependence on wildlife resources.

Efficient tools for consistent species identification are important in wildlife conservation as it can provide information on the levels of species exploitation and assist in solving forensic-related problems. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcode in species identification of Tanzanian antelope species. A 470 base-pair region of the COI gene was examined in 95 specimens representing 20 species of antelopes, buffalo and domestic Bovidae. All the Tanzanian species showed unique clades, and sequence divergence within species was