Participation of local communities in community based forest management in Tanzania: a case of Tunduru District, Ruvuma region

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dc.contributor.authorAmanzi, Numan Said
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-09T08:11:14Z
dc.date.available2026-07-09T08:11:14Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.descriptionDissertation
dc.description.abstractThe Participatory Forest management (PFM) in Tanzania entails Community Based Forest Management (CBFM) and Joint Forest Management (JFM). The centrepiece of the PFM is participation of the local communities. The study focused on the CBFM with the aim of providing a better understanding of local communities, participation in the CBFM process of establishing Village Land Forest Reserves (VLFRs) and the implementation of the Forest Management Plan (FMP). The study was conducted in five villages of Tunduru District, Ruvuma Region in Southern Tanzania and had four specific objectives. These were: 1) assessing the level of participation of the local community during the CBFM process of establishing the VLFRs; 2) examining political underpinnings in the participation of the local communities during the CBFM process of establishing the VLFR; 3) evaluating trainings provided by professional foresters to members of Village Natural Resources Committee (VNRCs) during the establishment of the VLFRs; and 4) assessing how local community participate in the implementation of FMP and whether their management practices comply with de jure FMP prescriptions and why. Data collection involved household surveys, participant observations for six months, participatory rural appraisal, in- depth interviews to local and external actors involved in the CBFM process, and a review of grey and published literatures. The result indicated that ten different stakeholders participated in the CBFM processes to establish VLFRs in Machemba and Sautimqja villages. The identified stakeholders include government departments/institutions, Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and local communities - people who live in the registered villages. The agenda behind the VLFRs establishment emanated from external stakeholders who are interested in conservation and had never reached the point where the local communities had control over the process. The study revealed further the presence of multiple external stakeholders who compete over authority to claim and set aside village land as a wildlife management area or as a forest reserve in the village land. This was observed in Machemba Village where since 2007 there were different donor funded projects to reserve the village land, which created conflicts among villagers themselves, and sometimes with those from outside the village. This is because of the fact that there was no broad-based dialogue about and acceptance of the idea of conserving village forest (Chiumbe Forest). Furthermore, the study found that the preparation of forest management plans is a technical activity, which is beyond general knowledge of local communities. Therefore, VNRC members were trained to acquire necessary skills and knowledge on how to carry out forest inventory and to prepare the FMP. However, the training was carried for half a day, which is considered too short to make a meaningful contribution and aimed to impart trainees skills to do manual work. The provided training was limited to how to measure tree circumference (manual work), which aimed at making planning process cheap. None of the committee member was capable to plan forest inventory, use Global Positioning System (GPS), analyze inventory data and estimate sustained yield. The study also shows that professional foresters with little emphasis on local knowledge, practices, and livelihoods prepared FMPs. Forest management prescriptions were rooted in forest science, conservation laws, administrative circulars, decrees, and guidelines; therefore, they (plans) had little relevance to the local community, and such plans were followed partially as they were in conflict with the local context. The study recommend for the revision of the forest regulations and CBFM guidelines in order to provide local communities with more voice, independence, and freedom and allow the inclusion of local knowledge and practices, as well as exploring different sources of revenues to finance forest management activities.
dc.description.sponsorshipScience and Power in Participatory Forestry (SCIFOR)
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.suaire.sua.ac.tz/handle/20.500.14820/7710
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherSokoine University of Agriculture
dc.subjectSocio-economic activities
dc.subjectForest
dc.subjectCommunity Based Forest Management (CBFM)
dc.subjectJoint Forest Management (JFM)
dc.titleParticipation of local communities in community based forest management in Tanzania: a case of Tunduru District, Ruvuma region
dc.typeThesis

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