Towards sustainable forest management in Tanzania: analysis of the effectiveness of the national forest policy and its implications for the forests and people of United Republic of Tanzania: a case study of Rufiji District, Southern Tanzania

Sustainable forest management (SFM) is crucial for the socio-economic development of forest-rich communities. Given its abundance of forest resources, Tanzania has adopted forest policy strategies that aim to enhance SFM through the active engagement of rural communities in forest management. Despite policy progress, Tanzania’s forest sector continues to face several institutional and policy implementation challenges. Using a qualitative case study approach and the DPSIR framework, this study critically examined forest policy gaps impeding sustainable forest management in the Rufiji district of Tanzania. Data were obtained through document reviews, a workshop and semi-structured interviews with experts in the forest sector. The study found that existing forest management strategies do not adequately address key drivers of forest loss thereby hindering SFM progress in the country. Additionally, although the forest sector offers enormous opportunities to improve livelihoods and local economies, the lack of market-based policy instruments is a major barrier