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CHAPTER SEVEN. DYNAMISM OF NATURAL RESOURCE POLICIES AND IMPACT ON FORESTRY IN TANZANIA
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CHAPTER SEVEN DYNAMISM OF NATURAL RESOURCE POLICIES AND IMPACT ON FORESTRY IN TANZANIA Gerald C. Monela and Jumanne M. Abdallah Background Forest resources: Natural and plantations forest Tanzania is endowed with extensive forest and woodland resources but there has been inadequate reliable data about the coverage of these forest and woodlands. Whereas the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (MNRT) in 1998 calculated the forest and woodland coverage to be about 33.5 million hectares (ha), FAO (2000) estimated 38.8 million ha while the World Bank (2002) refers to about 40 million hectares. This implies the exact forest and woodland coverage is between 30 and 40 million ha or between 32% and 43% of Tanzania’s total land area. About 13 million ha of forests and woodlands have legal status as gazetted Forest Reserves, of which about 2 million ha are gazetted as Local Government Forest Reserves. Forest Reserves account for about 37% while non-reserved forests and woodlands account for 57% and the remaining 6% falls under National Parks. Furthermore, reserved forests and woodlands are categorized into productive forests which occupy about 76% and protective forests covering about 22% of the forest reserve area of which 2% meets both productive and protective functions (Iddi, 2002a). Tanzania has about 16 industrial plantations with a total of about 80,000 ha of both hard and softwood species. The main species include Cupressus lusitanica, (which has been seriously affected by aphids), Pinus patula, Tectona grandis and some Eucalyptus species. The plantations are found in different locations in the country. A recent World Bank report (2002) shows the private sector owns and manages about 55,000 ha (69%) of forest plantations including about 6,000 ha of wattle (Acacia mearnsii) mostly owned by the Kibena Wattle Company in Njombe district and about 8,000 ha of teak (Tectona grandis) most of which is owned by the Kilombero Valley Teak Company (KVTC), whereas Iddi (2002b) indicates that about 80,000 ha of forest plantations are operated by the private sector mostly as woodlots ranging from 50 ha to over 1,000 ha. These are owned 160 Chapter Seven by individual households, villages and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) such as youths and women. Over 24,000 ha of privately owned plantations (30%) in Tanzania are found in Mufindi district in the Iringa Region. It is the only district where forestry activities are second to agriculture in terms of income generation (Mufindi District Profile, 2006). Forests are imperative for the welfare of both the rural and urban Tanzanian population especially the poor and the marginalized. Most of the people rely directly or indirectly on the forest resources for their livelihoods . Forests provide employment opportunities to between one million and ten million people. Meanwhile, forest products contribute approximatly USD 14 million (10-15%) of the country’s recorded export earnings . Through fuelwood and charcoal, forests provide 95% of Tanzania’s energy supply. Approximately 75% of construction materials come directly from forests. In addition, forests provide essential indigenous medicinal and supplementary products to 70% of Tanzania. Therefore, the manner in which forests are managed – or mismanaged – would have profound implications for the country’s future (CIFOR, 2004). This paper discusses transitions in Tanzania’s forestry sector and its importance both in terms of forestry practices on the ground and regarding policy and legal aspects. The paper shows and discusses transitions in forest management, which among other things advocate collaborative management between the forest sector and communities, in the management of forests. The paper further shows that the Forest Policy of 1998 is designed to address most of the problems affecting the forest sector. Institutional transition and impacts in forestry Formal forest management and conservation in Tanzania dates back to the German colonial period. Formal management of forests was introduced to avert unsustainable and destructive forest utilization through uncontrolled harvesting and encroachment from agriculture. But others have argued that this was a move to alienate native land. The first forest reserve was gazetted in 1906 (Ahlback, 1986). Mountain forests were considered to have high biodiversity-rich forest and to be of key significance for watershed protection. They were among the first areas reserved under the German and British colonial regimes. In 1922, the British also made all land the property of the state (URT, 1994; Ylhäisi, 2003).Thus the colonial period marked the beginning of major changes in forest management in the country through the introduction of state owned forests. Kajembe and Kessy (1999) also argue that...