The Pull of Purpose (4-minute Video)

Game Frontiers of Tanzania was founded on a deep and enduring passion for wildlife and wild places.

The company commenced operations in 1994 with four concessions. Through the late 1990s and early 2000s, it expanded steadily, at one point managing as many as twelve areas and establishing ten hunting camps.

At the time, this represented a significant and complex operation within Tanzania’s safari sector.

Today, Game Frontiers of Tanzania’s activities are concentrated within three key areas: the Selous Game Reserve, the Rukwa Mlele Game Reserve, and the Uvinza Open Area.

Each presents distinct ecological and management challenges.

Open Areas represent the lowest formal category of hunting block in Tanzania’s wildlife management framework.

Unlike fully protected reserves, they permit multiple land uses, including safari hunting, honey gathering, limited fishing, and, in some instances, cattle grazing.

This overlapping use increases pressure on natural resources and makes effective management considerably more demanding than in higher protection categories.

When the company acquired its concession in Uvinza, discussions were already underway within government circles to upgrade the area to full game reserve status.

At the time, however, the landscape faced serious challenges. Illegal cultivation and uncontrolled cattle grazing had resulted in environmental degradation.

At the same time, unregulated fishing practices, including extensive gill netting and, in some cases, the poisoning of waterholes, placed additional strain on wildlife and aquatic systems.

Despite these pressures, Game Frontiers of Tanzania recognized the ecological promise of Uvinza.

With appropriate stewardship, enforcement, and long-term investment, the area has the potential to become one of Tanzania’s premier safari hunting destinations.