From „fortress‟ to „community based‟ conservation - community perceptions of the costs and benefits between different forest management approaches in Tanzania: a case study of Kirama and Signali villages in Kilombero valley, Morogoro Region

In recent years there have been growing concerns among conservation and development agencies about the most appropriate approach to manage forest resources. Attention has also focused on the impact of different forest management approaches to forest-adjacent communities in terms of costs incurred and benefits accrued from the various management approaches, including the participation levels of the intended beneficiaries. Great attention has also been placed on issues of the user rights and how they influence on the adoption of different forest management approaches for future sustainability. This study, which was carried out in Kilombero Valley Ramsar site is based on data collected from Signali and Kirama villages. The study assessed perceived costs and benefits from “fortress” and “participatory” forest management approaches; and their implications for sustainable forest management in the study area. The study was guided by the assumption that in any implemented forest management approach, the perceived benefits and costs play a major role for the acceptance or rejection of the implemented approach by the communities. The study employed both primary and secondary data collection methods such as Focused group discussions, household interviews, key informants, literature reviews, wealth ranking etc and the analysis was done using both qualitative as well as quantitative methods. The study results revealed that communities adjacent to “fortress” managed Forest Reserves, National Parks and Game Reserves are less involved in forest management activities, while they incur substantial costs. The study also shows that communities surrounding the Kilombero Nature Reserve received minimal benefits; they are highly marginalized and they are prevented from accessing essential forest products like fuel wood and building materials. Regarding forest protection, the study has found out that the forest reserves managed under TANAPA showed some improvement compared to those managed under PFM. The study recommends improvements of some legal aspects and operational mechanisms related to forest management. These include the improvement of sectoral coordination; attention to local communities’ livelihoods; awareness of issues related to sustainable forestry management; and providing local people with incentives from forest products