Power Struggles in the Management of Wildlife Resources: The Case of Burunge Wildlife Management Area, Tanzania

Through a cross-sectional research design, this study examined power struggles in Burunge Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Tanzania. Four out of ten villages comprising the WMA were purposively selected, and data were collected via focus group discussions, key informant interviews, questionnaires to household heads, and a literature review. Results showed that the central government, investors and non-government organisations held institutional and strategic powers, while the democratically elected Village Councils held structural powers and lost most of their pre-WMA institutional powers to a legally required new institution, the Authorised Association. Therefore, Village Councils lost influence on strategic, institutional and management decisions pertinent to the WMA and their constituencies’ livelihoods. Accordingly, Burunge WMA de-democratised wildlife management by eroding the relevance of Village Councils to their constituencies. The study also found power struggles over revenues, land management and access to resources among the stakeholders, mainly due to a divergence of interests. However, there was no conflict management mechanism in place. Hence, we recommend that the institutional powers to establish, govern and dissolve WMAs should go back to Village Councils. The purpose is to establish economic incentive structures that promote (i) wildlife conservation, (ii) an equitable distribution of associated costs and benefits between Village Councils forming WMAs and (iii) an equitable distribution of costs and benefits between WMAs and higher levels of government as well as international conservation NGOs

African Lion Population Estimates in Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park

Tanzania is considered a country with the largest number of African lions (Panthera leo). However, the continued absence of ecological population estimates and understanding of the associated factors influencing lion distribution hinders the development of conservation planning. This is particularly true in the Ruaha-Rungwa landscape, where it was estimated that more than 10% of the global lion population currently resides. By using a call-back survey method, we aimed to provide population estimates (population size and density) of African lions in the Ruaha National Park, between wet (March 2019) and dry (October 2019) seasons. We also assessed the key factors that influenced the distribution of the observed lions towards call-back stations. Ferreira & Funston’s (2010) formula was used to calculate population size and in turn used to estimate density in the sampled area, while the Generalized Linear Model (GLMM) with zero-inflated Poisson error distribution was used to determine factors that influence the distribution of the observed lions to call-back stations. The population size we calculated for the sampled area of 3137.2 km2 revealed 286 lions (95% CI, 236 - 335) during the wet season, and 196 lions (95% CI, 192 - 200) during the dry season. The density of lions was 9.1/100 km2 during the wet season, and 6.3/100 km2 during the dry season. Distance to water source had a significant negative effect on the distribution of the observed lions to the call-back stations, while habitat had a marginal effect. Our findings show that, although lion population estimates were larger during the wet season than the dry season, the season had no effect on the distribution of the observed lions to call-back stations. We suggest that the proximity to water sources is important in study design. Further, we suggest that density and population size are useful indices in identifying conservation area priorities and lion coexistence strategies

Women, wellbeing and Wildlife Management Areas in Tanzania

Community-based wildlife management claims pro-poor, gender-sensitive outcomes. However, intersectional political ecology predicts adverse impacts on marginalised people. Our large-scale quantitative approach draws out common patterns and differentiated ways women are affected by Tanzania’s Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). This first large-scale, rigorous evaluation studies WMA impacts on livelihoods and wellbeing of 937 married women in 42 villages across six WMAs and matched controls in Northern and Southern Tanzania. While WMAs bring community infrastructure benefits, most women have limited political participation, and experience resource use restrictions and fear of wildlife attacks. Wealth and region are important determinants, with the poorest worst impacted

Dispossession and power struggles in community - based natural resources management: a case of burunge wildlife management area, Tanzania

PhD ThesisInstitutions remain one of the biggest hindrances to achieving sustainable community-based natural resources management. In Tanzania, knowledge about institutional adequacy, and the contribution of institutions to accumulation by dispossession and power struggles in the Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) is limited. This study was conducted in Burunge WMA in Babati district, Manyara region, Tanzania to assess the effects of institutions on dispossession and power struggles. The specific objectives were to (i) examine institutional challenges facing WMAs (ii) assess institutional rhetoric versus local reality in Burunge WMA (iii) assess evidence of accumulation by dispossession in Burunge WMA and (iv) examine power struggles in the management of Burunge WMA. A cross sectional research design was used. Data collection methods were focus group discussions, key informant interviews, telephone interviews, questionnaires, and literature review. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20 was used in descriptive statistical analysis to compute frequencies, means and standard deviations. Content analysis method was used to analyse qualitative data where common themes related to institutions, dispossession, and power struggles were analysed. Results showed that participation of local communities in the management and rules making for WMAs have not been sufficiently elaborated in the National Wildlife Policy and Legislation. Moreover, access to resources, land tenure and property rights are unclear in the rules. Likewise, rules do not provide for accountability and transparency to occur, revenues are recentralised, benefits are inadequate and besides existing conflicts, there are no locally based established conflict management mechanisms. Furthermore, respondents had little knowledge of rules on the management of the WMA. Similarly, inadequate participation of local communities in the policy process for WMA establishment and its subsequent management was observed. Rules were used to dispossess local people’s resources including land and revenues. After the WMA establishment, the village land within the WMA changed legal status from village land to reserved land and village councils lost their power over that land. There are power struggles over revenues, land and access to resources that have resulted in conflicts which lacked management mechanisms besides existing land tribunals. Therefore, it is recommended that a review of the Wildlife Policy including taking into account local livelihoods dependence on wildlife resources need to be done. This will accommodate changes that will reinforce devolution rather than recentralisation and accumulation by dispossession, livelihood improvement, accountability, transparency, secure land tenure and property rights, and access to resources and village councils as sole managers of WMAs. Also, a genuinely inclusive process should be employed in the policy and rule making process in WMAs. Lastly, to manage conflicts among actors, low cost locally-based conflicts management mechanisms need to be established in the WMAs.Building Stronger Universities (BSU) programm

Power struggles in the management of wildlife resources: A case of Burunge Wildlife Management Area, Tanzania

This study sought to examine power struggles in the Burunge Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Tanzania. A cross-sectional research design was used. Four out of ten villages were purposively selected. Multiple data collection techniques were employed, namely focus group discussions, key informant interviews, questionnaires to household heads, and a literature review. Results indicated that central government, investors and non-government organisations had institutional and strategic powers, while the Village Councils were limited to structural power. Village Councils were, therefore, disadvantaged in making strategic and institutional decisions on the WMA. The study also found power struggles for revenues, land management and access to resources among the stakeholders, mainly due to a divergence of interests. These struggles were responsible for resource usage conflicts. However, there was no conflict management mechanism in place. The study recommends devolution of institutional power to local communities in order to pre-empt effects caused by vesting too much power in central government and other stakeholders. Additionally, low cost mechanisms for conflict management should be established at the village level

African lion population estimates in Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park

Tanzania is considered a country with the largest number of African lions (Panthera leo). However, the continued absence of ecological population estimates and understanding of the associated factors influencing lion distribution hinders the development of conservation planning. This is particularly true in the Ruaha-Rungwa landscape, where it was estimated that more than 10% of the global lion population currently resides. By using a call-back survey method, we aimed to provide population estimates (population size and density) of African lions in the Ruaha National Park, between wet (March 2019) and dry (October 2019) seasons. We also assessed the key factors that influenced the distribution of the observed lions towards call-back stations. Ferreira & Funston’s (2010) formula was used to calculate population size and in turn used to estimate density in the sampled area, while the Generalized Linear Model (GLMM) with zero-inflated Poisson error distribution was used to determine factors that influence the distribution of the observed lions to call-back stations. The population size we calculated for the sampled area of 3137.2 km2 revealed 286 lions (95% CI, 236 - 335) during the wet season, and 196 lions (95% CI, 192 - 200) during the dry season. The density of lions was 9.1/100 km2 during the wet season, and 6.3/100 km2 during the dry season. Distance to water source had a significant negative effect on the distribution of the observed lions to the call-back stations, while habitat had a marginal effect. Our findings show that, although lion population estimates were larger during the wet season than the dry season, the season had no effect on the distribution of the observed lions to call-back stations. We suggest that the proximity to water sources is important in study design. Further, we suggest that density and population size are useful indices in identifying conservation area priorities and lion coexistence strategies