Exploring Forest Governance in Tanzania

Abstract

This chapter explores forest governance in Tanzania. It is based on a literature review of the governance concept in general and an analysis of selected case studies – Suledo, Duru-Haitemba and Bereku forest reserves – in particular. We identify various types of forest governance and show how these are related to the decentralisation process in Tanzania. Our findings indicate that decentralisation through participatory forest management (PFM) in Tanzania integrates various governance types, including good governance, multilevel governance, corporate governance, network governance and global governance. We also show that community-based forest management (CBFM) and joint forest management (JFM), the two dominant forms of participatory forest management in Tanzania, have generally improved the condition of forest resources in the selected case studies. However, the contribution of CBFM and JFM to improved livelihoods of local communities is still rather low. Both CBFM and JFM still face a number of challenges, including inadequate additional income for local communities and insufficient support from external stakeholders.