Makao Wildlife Management Area (Tanzania) IBA | Summary

Makao Wildlife Management Area

Current view: summary

Country/territory: Tanzania

IBA criteria met: A1 (2023)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here

Area: 117,966 hectares (1,179.66 km²)

Nature Tanzania

Site summary
Makao Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a protected area that was established in 2007 and is located in north-central Tanzania, in Meatu District, Simiyu Region. Makao serves as an important ecological linkage between Maswa Game Reserve, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and Serengeti National Park. Makao WMA (788 km2) and Mwiba Ranch (247 km2), as the area is characterised by woodlands, bushes, a few grasslands, water ponds, and rivers. Makao WMA and Mwiba Ranch together are bordered by other IBAs, including Maswa Game Reserve (TZ015) to the North, Ngorongoro Conservation Area (TZ013) to the east, and Lake Eyasi (TZ023) to the South. The climate in Makao WMA can be classified as semiarid with a bimodal rainfall pattern. Mostly rains start in November and end in May. Rainfall increases from less than 700 mm per year in the south to 900 mm in the north. In Makao WMA, rivers are seasonal, and altitude declines slightly from north to south. The area is made up of rocky hills and flat plains with typical black cotton and sandy loam soils. Makao WMA is a communal land that belongs to 10 villages, which are Makao, Mwangudo, Iramba Ndogo, Sungu, Sapa, Mbushi, Shushuni, Mwabagimu, Lukale, and Jinamo. The areas surrounding the WMA are occupied mainly by the Sukuma, Datoga, Taturu, and Nyaturu tribes. There are also members of the Hadzabe tribe living outside the WMA. Cultivation is the major economic activity in Makao WMA member villages. The area surrounding the WMA is not officially a livestock-keeping area but is regarded as a dry-season grazing area, though recently people have settled there with large heads of cattle.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Makao Wildlife Management Area (Tanzania). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/makao-wildlife-management-area-iba-tanzania on 27/12/2024.