Scaling Up Conservation Efforts to Protect the Three Sisters Pygmy Chameleons and Their Habitats in the South Nguru Mountains, Tanzania

This project was implemented by Eva Johnson Ayaro with funding from The Rufford Foundation to scale up protection of the "Three Sisters" pygmy chameleons (Rhampholeon acuminatus, Rhampholeon princeeai and Rhampholeon waynelotteri) that are endemic to Tanzania's South Nguru Mountains and depend on specialised microhabitats in the Mkingu and Kanga Forest Reserves. Building on an earlier phase, the project expands ecological studies and threat assessments by estimating population sizes, describing habitat needs, modelling habitats and mapping forest disturbance, while also examining possible illegal trade through interviews and stakeholder engagement.

A major focus is community-based outreach through conservation education for local communities and schools using workshops, field learning and locally adapted materials, alongside training for early-career Tanzanian conservationists. The project will generate ecological and socio-economic evidence to support conservation status reassessments and stronger protection measures for these species and their forest habitats.