Tanzania advances shared governance for community protected and conserved areas

In Tanzania, shared governance is practised through several mechanisms. Wildlife Management Areas are established on village land and managed through community-based organisations known as Authorised Associations, with oversight and support from district councils and national wildlife authorities.  In the forestry sector, Community-Based Forest Management gives villages authority over forests on village land, while Joint Forest Management enables communities and government institutions to jointly manage national or local authority forest reserves.  Marine and coastal governance also incorporates participation through Marine Park Advisory Committees, Village Liaison Committees, Beach Management Units and Collaborative Fisheries Management Areas.

IUCN’s engagement on this agenda in Tanzania spans about two decades. In March 2017, IUCN supported the country’s first national workshop dedicated to assessing the governance of its protected and conserved area system. The process introduced stakeholders to governance diversity, quality and equity, drawing on guidance developed through IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas. It also created space to examine how state institutions, communities and other rights-holders shared authority, responsibilities, costs and benefits across different conservation arrangements. 
This foundation was strengthened in 2018 through a further national workshop on Indigenous Peoples’ and community-conserved territories and areas. That dialogue examined the legal recognition and support available to community-led conservation models in Tanzania and highlighted experiences from community forests, Wildlife Management Areas and traditional resource governance systems. The process also informed the continuing national governance assessment, supported technically by IUCN.

Building on this history, the Morogoro dialogue was convened with IUCN and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in collaboration with the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG), Honeyguide Foundation and the Community Wildlife Management Areas Consortium (CWMAC). The workshop reflected the diversity of institutions and people involved in Tanzania’s conservation landscape. Participants included representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority, Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute and local government authorities. Community members and managers represented Wildlife Management Areas including Makao, Magingo, Burunge, Mpimbwe, Uyumbu, Randilen and Mbomipa. Academic institutions, national and international conservation organisations as well as media representatives also participated. This broad representation enabled the discussions to connect national policies and institutional mandates with the practical experiences of communities responsible for conserving wildlife, forests and other natural resources.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, The Acting Director of the Forestry and Beekeeping Division from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Daniel Pancras said that for many years, the participatory management approach has played a significant role in strengthening forest conservation, improving the governance of natural resources, and increasing community participation in decision-making regarding the sustainable use of forests and wildlife. He also noted that the workshop is important because it will assess the current status of participatory management, draw lessons from past implementation experiences, identify existing challenges and opportunities, and develop recommendations to improve the system for the benefit of the nation. From IUCN, Project Officer, Ms. Scholastica Mbinile emphasised on the objective of the dialogue, which is to develop joint solutions for community-managed conservation areas by improving decision-making, transparency, accountability, and ensuring that the benefits of community conservation reach local communities directly while identifying and addressing emerging challenges.

Over the three days, participants developed a common understanding of shared governance and examined how community-based forest management and Wildlife Management Areas have evolved in Tanzania during the past 30 years. They reflected on achievements, persistent challenges and the importance of shared governance for the future of conservation. The dialogue culminated in the development of a Theory of Change, an assessment of the enabling conditions and barriers affecting shared governance, and the preparation and presentation of a joint action plan for strengthening and scaling up shared governance approaches across the country.

IUCN Tanzania

Some of the workshop participants on a group photo.

This workshop complements IUCN's long-standing support to protected and conserved area governance, especially the community-led conservation areas. Through its Global Protected Areas Programme and the expertise of WCPA and CEESP commissions, IUCN has helped place governance quality, equity and rights at the centre of conservation practice. Tanzania has been central to this effort, hosting the first pilot of the Site-level Assessment of Governance and Equity (SAGE) at Randilen Wildlife Management Area in 2019. SAGE enables rights-holders and other stakeholders to jointly assess participation, transparency, accountability, benefit sharing and respect for rights, and then translate identified challenges into practical actions. The experience from Tanzania contributed to refining a tool that is now used internationally to strengthen more inclusive and equitable governance of protected and conserved areas.