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

Abstract

This paper intended to gain insights on how local communities perceive the
conservation of community forests (CFs). It draws from a study that aimed to
explore how communities perceive conservation efforts, and uncover the manner
through which contextual factors shape these perceptions. Data for this paper
were generated through a triangulation of methods, whereby a structured
questionnaire was administered to 200 households, and unstructured
questionnaires to 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 analyse data 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 processes positively 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 the lack of motivation
and conflicts 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).