The Selous-Niassa ecosystem of southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique is one of the largest and most biologically significant transboundary ecosystems in Africa, covering over 154,000 square kilometers. It includes the world’s largest miombo woodland forest and encompasses two of the greatest, intact elephant ranges in all of Africa. The ecosystem also contains the Selous and Niassa Game Reserves. The Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania is home to Africa’s largest population of elephant, buffalo and sable antelope and is one of the largest protected areas in Eastern Africa. The Selous-Niassa ecosystem is also renowned for its significant carnivore populations which include the critically endangered wild dog.

Current threats to the Selous-Niassa ecosystem include the expansion of agricultural activities, increased human settlement within key wildlife corridors, commercial poaching for ivory, commercial logging and the uncontrolled harvesting of certain fish stocks in the Ruvuma River. Compounding these threats is the difficulty in enforcing wildlife regulations within such a remote area as well as the lack of incentives within the local communities to conserve wildlife. Additionally, the region currently suffers from a disproportionate number of human-carnivore conflicts. The impact of these attacks not only results in significant psychological and economic hardship for local residents, but also engenders negative attitudes towards carnivores and wildlife conservation in general.