**1. Introduction**

Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Graminae species) and other herbaceous (non-woody) plants, having shrub or tree canopy cover not exceeding 2% (**Figure 1**) [1, 2]. Grasslands provide feed resources for grazing animals that include livestock and wildlife [3]. In addition, grasslands

provide essential ecosystem services that include water catchments, biodiversity reserves, and socio-cultural and recreational needs [4, 5]. Grasslands are found in every continent and comprise 26% of the world's total land area and 80% of agricultural land and represent a wide variety of ecosystems [6].

In Sub-Saharan Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have more than 100,000 km2 of grassland [6]. According to Sulla-Menashe and Friedl [7] Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 2019 Land cover product (MCD12Q1) and International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) vegetation cover classes, the grasslands dominated by herbaceous annuals (<2 m) in Tanzania cover 385,427 km2 which are distributed in different parts of the country.

Climate conditions and human activities affect the productivity of grasslands in Tanzania in terms of Net Primary Production (NPP) [8]. The general pattern of NPP in Tanzania shows a decreasing trend in the northeast-southwest, while the most significant decrease in NPP mainly occurred in the northeast [8, 9]. On the other hand, it predicted that the mean NPP values in the western, eastern, and central parts would increase by 2050 [8, 9]. Therefore, it implies an increase in the population of grazing animals with a consequential impact on people's livelihood in these areas. Thus, the prediction poses a need to establish baseline information on the capacity of grasslands to support livestock and wildlife with consequent effects on people's livelihood.

It is certain that grasslands provide numerous services and are central to the livelihoods and economies of many people in the country. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the current situation to develop strategies for sustaining this important biome. Therefore, this study was conducted to depict the importance of grasslands in Tanzania, their sustainability challenges, and how to keep productive grasslands in Tanzania.

**Figure 1.** *Typical grassland of Serengeti ecosystem in Northern Tanzania.*

*Interaction of Grassland Ecosystem with Livelihood and Wildlife Sustainability: Tanzanian… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.101343*
