Browsing by Author "Meilby, H"

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The importance of local forest benefits: economic valuation of Non-Timber forest products in the Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2013-08) Schaafsma, M; Morse-Jones, S; Posen, P; Swetnam, R.D; Balmford, A; Bateman, I.J; Burgess, N.D; Chamshama, S.A.O; Fisher, B; Freeman, T; Geofrey, V; Green, R.E; Hepelwa, A.S; Hernández-Sirvent, A; Hess, S; Kajembe, G.C; Kayharara, G; Kilonzo, M; Kulindwa, K; Lund, J.F; Madoffe, S.S; Mbwambo, L; Meilby, H; Ngaga, Y.M; Theilade, I; Treue, T; van Beukering, P; Vyamana, V.G; Turner, R.K
Understanding the spatial distribution of the quantity and economic value of Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) collection gives insight into the benefits that local communities obtain from forests, and can inform decisions about the selection of forested areas that are eligible for conservation and enforcement of regulations. In this paper we estimate transferable household production functions of NTFP extraction in the Eastern Arc Mountains (EAM) in Tanzania, based on information from seven multi-site datasets related to the behaviour of over 2000 households. The study shows that the total benefit flow of charcoal, firewood, poles and thatch from the EAM to the local population has an estimated value of USD 42 million per year, and provides an important source of additional income for local communities, especially the poorest, who mainly depend on subsistence agriculture. The resulting map of economic values shows that benefits vary highly across space with population density, infrastructure and resource availability. We argue that if further restrictions on forest access to promote conservation are considered, this will require additional policies to prevent a consequent increase in poverty, and an enforced trade- off between conservation and energy supply to rural and urban households.
Participatory forest management for more than a decade in Tanzania: does it live up to its goals?
(Tanzania Journal of Forestry and Nature Conservation, 2013) Ngaga, Y. M; Treue, T; Meilby, H; Lund, J. F; Chamshama, S. A. O; Theilade, I; Njana, M. A; Ngowi, S. E; Mwakalukwa, E. E; Isango, J. A. K; Burgess, N. D; Kajembe, G. C
In Tanzania, Participatory Forest Management (PFM) was introduced in order to address the challenge of deforestation which continues at alarming rate. Equally, PFM aimed to involve communities adjacent to forests in management of forest resources while at the same time accrue economic benefits. PFM consists of Community Based Forest Management (CBFM) and Joint Forest Management (JFM). CBFM takes place on village land, in forests that are owned by the village while JFM takes place in Central or Local Government forest reserves (FRs) whereby owner of the FR and adjacent communities jointly manage and share benefits accrued from the FR. This study aimed to assess the role of PFM in sustainable exploitation of forest resources, equitable economic benefits and good forest governance. Generally, the study concludes that PFM can and does contribute to sustainable utilisation of forest resources and that, households across wealth categories benefit economically from PFM. However, there is a slight tendency that the rich benefit more than the poor. Similarly, the study concludes that, while CBFM and JFM have formally established appropriate institutions for PFM, this has not promoted enfranchisement and inclusiveness. The problem of elite capture in PFM should be addressed through information and education.
Towards transferable functions for extraction of Non-timber Forest Products: A case study on charcoal production in Tanzania
(Elsevier, 2012-05) Schaafsma, M; Morse-Jones, S; Posen, P; Swetnam, R.D; Balmford, A; Bateman, I.J; Burgess, N.D; Chamshama, S.A.O; Fisher, B; Green, R.E; Hepelwa, A.S; Hernández-Sirvent, A; Kajembe, G.C; Kulindwa, K; Lund, J.F; Mbwambo, L; Meilby, H; Ngaga, Y.M; Theilade, I; Treue, T; Vyamana, V.G; Turner, R.K
Mapping the distribution of the quantity and value of forest benefits to local communities is useful for forest management, when socio-economic and conservation objectives may need to be traded off. We develop a modelling approach for the economic valuation of annual Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) extraction at a large spatial scale, which has 4 main strengths: (1) it is based on household production functions using data of actual household behaviour, (2) it is spatially sensitive, using a range of explanatory variables related to socio-demographic characteristics, population density, resource availability and accessibility, (3) it cap- tures the value of the actual flow rather than the potential stock, and (4) it is generic and can therefore be up-scaled across non-surveyed areas. We illustrate the empirical application of this approach in an analysis of charcoal production in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania, using a dataset comprising over 1100 obser- vations from 45 villages. The total flow of charcoal benefits is estimated at USD 14 million per year, providing an important source of income to local households, and supplying around 11% of the charcoal used in Dar es Salaam and other major cities. We discuss the potential and limitations of up-scaling micro-level analysis for NTFP valuation