Tipper

Today we did a trip to a remote conservation area we support, known as Chingoli Wildlife Management Area. This required using remote rough roads and unfortunately (but fortunately for farmers in the region) heavy rain fell last night. We were faced with red, muddy roads and on this descent, two lorries sliding and blocking the road, almost impassable even after the first heavy rains of the season. Dennis and I got out to survey whether we could pass the lorries, and meanwhile the driver of our Land Cruiser plunged ahead, one side of the car in a ditch, squeezing past at a 45 degree angle. Dennis let out a pained noise of concern. It was one of the most reckless things I’ve ever seen in a car and I cannot believe he didn’t get stuck or tip.

The journey to Chingoli continued in an arduous fashion with lorries (apparently transporting cashews, and I suspect other commodities…) sliding down muddy tracks, forcing us to pull over. Dennis, burnt by the tipping incident, recommended we stood well clear, explaining that with lorry drivers, ‘their reasoning is usually very low’.

When we finally reached Chingoli we covered various issues with the Secretary of the Wildlife Management Area, building a picture of conservation challenges and possible activities in these remote locations. It was a useful discussion.

The most exciting part of the trip was reaching the Ruvuma River border with Mozambique, at a spot directly opposite Niassa Special Reserve. Some remote communities farm on the river banks under the constant threat of crocodile conflict. We talked to the Tanzanians manning the small border check point, who were a friendly lot. There is general nervousness in this border region because of the armed insurgency plaguing areas of north-east Mozambique. The epicentre is hundreds of kilometres away and issues have not penetrated anywhere close to where we have been moving around. Yet the Tanzanian government is taking the threat seriously as you never know what sympathies are fomenting amongst remote and forgotten communities who have got plenty of beef with central governments.