**2.2 Data collection and analysis**

A systematic review of the scientific literature to obtain information on the grasslands of Tanzania was conducted using guidelines outlined by researchers [10, 11]. The study was done using various search engines, including Google Scholar, to establish the body of knowledge concerning the subject. The process involved a pre-defined search protocol using filters for keywords to audit search relevance and applicability [10]. The authors used experience from research conducted in Serengeti and Ugalla ecosystems and the eastern Tanzania grasslands to supplement the information obtained from the literature. The R software version 3.5.0 was used for data visualization with the ggplot2 package and analysis for correlation of human, wildlife populations and human-wildlife conflicts.

#### **Figure 2.**

*Distribution of grasslands in Tanzania mainland (source: Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute GIS unit 2021).*
