Local Perceptions on Community Forests Conservation: Lessons from Namtumbo District, Tanzania

Abstract

This paper intendedto gain insightson how local communities perceive the conservation of community forests (CFs). It draws from astudy thataimed to explore how communities perceive conservation efforts,and uncover the manner through which contextualfactorsshape these perceptions. Data for this paper were generated througha triangulation of methods, whereby astructured questionnaire was administered to 200 households,and unstructured questionnairesto 43 households. In addition, 7 key informant interviews (KIIs) and 5 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with forest experts and village leaders to provide further insights and interpretation of the data. We used qualitative and quantitative methods to analysedata on local perceptions of the conservation of CFs. Content and micro-interlocutor analysis was used for qualitative data analysis, while descriptive statistics and Probit regression were used for quantitative data. According to the results, most respondents (85.25%) viewed the conservation of CFs positively. The study indicated that factors such as age, land ownership, conservation benefits, spill-over effects, policy and regulations, and involvement in decision-making processespositively impacted perspectives. However, occupation and conservation costs were unfavourable factors that influenced their viewpoints. Despite the community’s positive attitudes, conservation efforts have not succeeded due to thelack of motivation andconflicts of interest, which align with the social exchange theory. We argue that to achieve effective conservation, it is crucial to adopt various strategies such as creating economic opportunities through CFs, modernizing agriculture, and issuing certificates of customary right of occupancy(CCRO).