The role of media in the conservation of Uluguru mountains forests in Morogoro
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Date
2006
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Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Deforestation is one of the major problems facing Tanzania. In Morogoro, the area under
forests of Uluguru Mountains has been declining over time, which has threatened the
survival of fauna and flora, human well-being, industrial production and the country's
economy at large. The overall objective of the study is to assess the role of media in
conserving forests of Uluguru mountains in order to achieve sustainable management of
the biological resources. Cross-sectional design was adopted using open and closed ended
questionnaires from a sample size of 80 respondents. Interviews with key informants,
individual in-depth and focus group discussions (FGD) were also used. Data analysis was
done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings indicate that
Morogoro has a number of mass media, which has not been utilized to disseminate
environmental information particularly forestry. Despite the fact that there are three radio
stations in the region, only one radio has been used by a single forestry organization to
discuss and debate the way forward to conserve forests of the Uluguru mountains.
Newspapers have covered a number of articles based on editorials, letter to the editor.
features, special supplements, columns and pictures but the challenge they are limited to
urban areas. Majority of the respondents own radio sets and they do listen to environmental
radio programmes aired by a local radio in Morongo. This study recommends that mass
media and forestry stakeholders should work together as partners in conservation of the
Uluguru mountains. Foresters should effectively get the conservation messages out into the
public arena to attract allies, convert foes, and win the minds and hearts of those involved
in deforestation. By targeting different strata and hierarchy of media, environmental
organizations will be able to reach the audience that is most important to them.
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Keywords
Conservation, Uluguru mountains, Morogoro