Forest Management and Sustainability in Tanzania

In basic financial terms, as long as economic returns of letting forests stand idle are less than that of 'using the forest', deforestation is bound to occur. The drivers of deforestation are:

Population growth and increase in income per capita,
Increasing demand for agriculture products and timber,
Renewable energy policies encourage change of land use for biofuel crops,
Subsidies and tax breaks policies of many forest nations favor deforestation practices,
Lack of clear and secure land tenure prompt forest land owners to clear land for use to ascertain legal ownership,
Weak enforcement of laws encourages illegal logging and shifting cultivations despite clear forest protection law.
Infrastructure expansion and activities

Deforestation and forest degradation produce about 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet the forest sector helps in emissions reduction, captures and stores carbon, and reduces the vulnerability of people and ecosystems to climate change. The forests provide important water resources, timber and related products, generate electricity through hydroelectric power plants

Measures such as sustainable forest management, forest conservation, reforestation, forest restoration, afforestation, wood-based bioenergy generation, and the use of sustainably produced wood products as substitutes for emissions-intensive materials, therefore, should all be considered as part of the global approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

In many remote forests of Tanzania, people have almost zero knowledge about best agricultural practices, alternative crops, technologies, markets and microfinance. Many resort to deforestation for charcoal production, logging and shifting cultivation for livelihood. Such unsustainable activities greatly undermine the forests, water resource, biodiversity; and climate change mitigation.


Felling of trees for charcoal		Forest reserve managed by adjacent village

Since its operation in 1993, the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG) has been playing a leading role in the forest management in Tanzania. In its effort to conserve forests and improve the livelihood of the Tanzania people, it has drawn up a strategy that is a combination of participatory forest management, community development and environmental education. The strategy includes microfinance, sustainable forest management, forest conservation, reforestation, restoration and afforestation, efficient bio-energy generation and the use of sustainably produced wood products to help forest dwellers to live more harmoniously with the forests. Local communities are involved in:


Fish pond for improved income		Reed frog in Tanzania forest		Fuel efficient stove

Planting of trees which provide fuel wood, building materials and cash incomes to the farmers.

Building of fuel efficient stoves which reduce household wood fuel consumption by 50% and thus reduces pressure on forests. The improved stoves which greatly reduce smoke also reduce respiratory-related health hazards.

Butterfly farming and bee farming and fish farming; which, while helping to increase income of farmers, motivate forests conservation.

Adopting to better agriculture techniques including soil conservation and agro-forestry to meet increasing daily needs.

Educating the dwellers on forest management and conservation awareness, tackling forest fire, illegal logging, mining and firewood collection.

In addition TFCG has been reforesting two areas of land that act as corridors between forest fragments. Through enrichment planting and fire protection, the forest is returning. TFCG has been instrumental in facilitating a more sustainable future for the Tanzania forests.

References:

Tanzania Forest Conservation Group
Climate Change: Financing Global Forests - Eliasch Review
The Role of Organic Agriculture in the Kyoto Protocol: Agroeco.nl
Agroforestry in Uganda

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