Browsing by Author "Midtgaard, F"

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Effects of participatory forest management on livelihoods of communities adjacent to forests in redd+ pilot areas of Mufindi, Iringa Rural and Mbozi districts, Tanzania
(Tanzania Journal of Forestry and Nature Conservation, 2021) Lusambo, L.P; Midtgaard, F; Nyamoga, G
Participatory Forest Management (PFM) has been introduced as a strategy for sustainable forest management. The extent to which forests managed under PFM strategies contribute to the livelihoods of its adjacent communities remains poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to (i) analyse socio-economic characteristic of respondents in the study area (ii) assess forest products accessed by the communities living adjacent to the forests, (iii) analyse the local communities’ perception on the importance of forests under PFM to their livelihoods and (iv) analyse socio-economic factors influencing the households’ perception on the importance of PFM. Methods of data collection were household survey, direct observations, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Data analysis was done using chi-square analysis and binary logistic regression. Findings revealed that χ 2 test on the importance of PFM forests (compared to non-PFM forests) was statistically significant. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that household size was a statistically significant factor influencing the household’s perception on the importance of PFM forests on livelihoods. We conclude that PFM forests are perceived to have positive effects on their livelihoods. Further studies are recommended explicitly to paint a picture on benefits attributable to PFM.
Increased biomass for carbon stock in participatory forest managed miombo woodlands of Tanzania
(2016) Lusambo, L. P; Lupala, Z. J; Midtgaard, F; Ngaga, Y. M; Kessy, J. F; Abdallah, J. M; Kingazi, S. P; Mombo, F; Nyamoga, G. Z
Miombo (Zambezian savanna) woodlands are important forest vegetation in Tanzania. The forests contain biomass which is vital for climate change mitigation strategy. However the extent of increasing biomass under participatory forest management for carbon sequestration and storage is not clear. Understanding of this biomass will aid development of effective climate change mitigation strategies and promote sustainable forest management. This study involved 276 systematically determined concentric sample plots laid out in eight miombo woodland forests (four in Mbeya region and four in Iringa region). Of these plots, 145 were laid in participatory managed forests and 131 in reference scenario, called business as usual (BAU) or open access forest selected in proximity. The main finding was that most of PFM forests had significant increase in biomass (P < 0.05) as compared to the reference scenario. Mean biomass increased from 48.05 t/ha ± 0.03 to 37.91 t/ha ± 0.19 in PFM forests. Likewise mean biomass was 37.91 t/ha ± 0.11 to15.79 t/ha ± 0.13 for reference scenario BAU forests. This implied higher average carbon stock in participatory managed forests (21.37 t/ha) against the reference scenario (11.28 t/ha). The results provide evidence that participatory forest management approach in miombo woodlands of Tanzania have potential for climate change mitigation strategies. Despite the challenge in determining reference scenario, these findings present useful benchmark against which further study can be performed.