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Southern Tanzania Elephant Trust is a UK Charity that supports the work of Southern Tanzania Elephant Program (STEP) in Tanzania. STEP is an NGO founded in 2014 with the mission of securing a peaceful future for elephants and the ecosystems on which they interdepend.

A globally important elephant population Southern Tanzania is a globally important region for elephant conservation, being home to over 30% of East Africa’s elephants. Elephant conservation in this region faces two main challenges: the need to protect elephant populations and their habitats, and to foster coexistence between people and elephants. STEP works to address these challenges in the following ways:

Protecting elephants and the ecosystems in which they live We support ranger patrols and provide equipment, training and technical support to those protected areas which have the least resources for protection. We also conduct aerial monitoring in critical elephant habitats.

Working with farmers to reduce elephant impacts Farms and settlement adjacent to protected areas are at risk of elephant damage, as some elephants learn to use crops as food source. STEP helps farmers to protect their crops using beehive fences, which deter elephants and provide a source of income from elephant-friendly honey.

Coexistence education We spread a message of coexistence by conducting outreach in schools and by organizing an elephant-themed football league, community events and cinema nights.

Producing science and evidence to inform elephant conservation We monitor the status of key elephant populations in southern Tanzania to assess their conservation needs. We also study human-elephant interactions and evaluate interventions to improve human-elephant coexistence.

How you can help If you would like to support work, please consider making a donation. All donors are acknowledged in our annual reports. Thank you for helping us to ensure a long and peaceful future for elephants in southern Tanzania.