Convening for Community-Based Conservation
On Thursday representatives from the government, development partners, academic institutions, and national and international civil society organizations gathered together to discuss the status of community based natural resource management (CBNRM) in Tanzania. The workshop was hosted by TNRF and it was the first of what is hoped to become a series of dialogues on CBNRM. The aim is to provide a platform for multi-stakeholder exchange of information, sharing experiences and agreeing on a common course for the success of CBNRM in the country. The platform is part of the regional Southern Africa CBNRM Forum (SACF) of which TNRF is a member.
This particular workshop presented research findings from a CBNRM stocktaking exercise that evaluated the forestry, fisheries and wildlife sectors in Tanzania. Participants had an opportunity to provide input and feedback and discuss recommendations for strengthening CBNRM in the future.
Baruani Mshale, lead researcher for the CBNRM stocktaking exercise, explains the purpose behind the study: “If we’re going to see a true shift in the approach towards conservation in Tanzania, moving from a project focus to a higher level focus on governance, there needs to be sound understanding and analysis carried out about the current situation of CBNRM implementation in the country,”
“It was very exciting to have a group of diverse stakeholders working together to find strategies and opportunities to strengthen CBNRM in Tanzania,” said Geofrey Mwanjela, Head of Programs at TNRF. “I am looking forward to sharing the final report and hopefully seeing some action taken on the recommendations identified at this workshop.”
Both the stocktaking and workshop reports will be available online soon.
Read more about the workshop here.