Edward Loure

Maasai Edward Loure was raised in a tiny pastoral tribe community near Tarangire National Park; although some may refer to it as "the bush," to Edward, it has always been referred to as home. He was raised in the Simanjiro plains, where he helped his family farm cattle while living a tranquil semi-nomadic lifestyle. Cattle, natural resources, and cultures and traditions make up the Maasai people's three defining characteristics. Loure observed the species and their migratory paths as a child to learn about the coexistence of livestock, wildlife, and communities. He was motivated by this to work with the Ujamaa Community Resource Team (UCRT) to save the Maasai people's land and way of life, which includes defending the pastoral way of life.For many years, pastoralist communities have coexisted with migratory local species while subsisting off the soil. The Maasai are careful to move their herds in accordance with the seasons, keeping a close eye on their livestock to ensure that they do not overgraze the land and share resources with other species that maintain the balance of the ecosystem.As Edward grew older, he became aware that the lands were drastically decreasing and that his access was being restricted due to the growth of tourism and the creation of national parks, which drove Indigenous peoples from their homes and turned them into "conservation refugees." In addition, the government was secretly selling land to the safari and hunting industries without first engaging the local indigenous population.With the support of Maasai elders, Edward was able to create communal rights for the land they have been preserving for years. His background in management and administration made him the ideal candidate to lead the UCRT campaign. He began researching land rights and discovered that there are three primary categories of land covered by the law: community land, general land (the land owned by everyone), and conserved land (the area used for national parks).Considering communal land is the location where groups of individuals with the same interests can get a Certificate of Customary Right of Occupancy (CCRO), Edward concentrated on this third section. CCROs land is secure since it is delineated on maps and managed by bylaws.Working with the Hadza tribe paid off and the Tanzanian government issued the first-ever CCRO to one of the Maasai community after Edward and the UCRT team learned about this. The Hadza tribe is one of the oldest surviving cultures that have lived sustainably off the land for 40,000 years by hunting and gathering.The lives of the Indigenous people have significantly improved because to the CCROs. The community is thriving as a result of the provision of land rights. Since the cattle are healthier, the community's residents are as well, which boosts the economy. Additionally, gender equality has been achieved, and where women were earlier excluded from discussions, their ideas now count and they have a voice in choices.Edward keeps working with UCRT to implement the CCRO concept across the entire nation of Tanzania. They want to step up their efforts to make community-based land titling an important part of land use planning and management that juggles the requirements of Tanzanians, the environment, and the country's economy[4]