Integrating the management of the ruaha landscape of Tanzania with local needs and preferences
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Date
2010-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of California
Abstract
ustainable management of landscapes with multiple competing demands requires balancing the diverse preferences and
needs of stakeholder groups. Conservation and development organizations have often made unwarranted assumptions
about what is desired by, or good for local people without engaging local stakeholders. This study uses conjoint analysis to
assess the preferences of representatives from three stakeholder groups—local communities, district government officials, and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—to identify potential competing conservation and development priorities facing
local communities in the Ruaha Landscape of Tanzania. Representatives of local agricultural communities place high
importance on investments in farmer’s cooperatives that increase accessibility to supplies, loans, and capacity development.
In contrast, district government officials and NGOs perceive investments to improve health, education, and tourism
infrastructure as highest priorities for the region. Analysis suggests a need for incorporating issues deemed important
by these various groups into a development strategy that aims to promote conservation of the Ruaha Landscape while
improving the livelihoods of local communities. To be successful, future projects, whether conservation or development,
must reconcile objectives at local to global scales and across sectors.
Description
main article
Keywords
Ruaha Landscape, Local Needs, Preferences, Tanzania