Pastoral Grazing in Tanzania’s Village Forest Reserves: Unearthing Extra-Ecological Motives for (In-)Compatibility

Abstract

Narratives and discourses on pastoralism-forestry relations continue to oscillate. This paper examines what shapes the views, and with what broader implications. In this regard, we conducted a qualitative, multi-scalar analysis at village, district, and national levels. We conducted 40 interviews, and 31 focus group discussions, and reviewed 70 documents. The findings revealed that debates about grazing-VLFR incompatibility are not exclusively hinged on ecological sustainability, but are a cocktail of extra-ecological concerns closely connected to dominant ideological and institutional positions. These include the socio-politics of identity and belonging, costs of conservation, peace and security, and economic and scientific epistemes mobilised by different actors in support of, or against the motion. Further, the findings reveal that it is not just about what happens in/or to the forest that is of concern, but who does it. Also, it is not a livestock grazing ‘problem’ per se, but broadly a pastoralism ‘problem’. Hence, the findings highlight the implications of the dominance of technocratic values and scientific principles in reinforcing the notion of incompatibility, and silencing diverse on-ground realities. Overall, broader pastoralism-forestry relations in Tanzania remain in limbo, rendering pastoral livelihoods prone to displacement in the name of conservation and modernisation.