Participatory Environmental Resource Management, Tanzania

KEYWORD: Community-based Natural Forest Management, Africa. Africa, Tanzania, ecotourism, environmental values, sustainable forestry, degraded lands, forest degradation, institutional strengthening, policy, training, communication, community based natural resource management, community participation, education, migration, population growth, poverty abatement, case study, planning document. SUMMARY: Tanzania has a generous amount of natural resources, including marine, land and wetland ecosystems, minerals and petroleum. Agriculture is the foundation of the economy, and families and communities are thereby managers of much of the country's land and water resources. Traditional agricultural practices were sustainable in that fallow periods were appropriate for the soil and local conditions, and natural resources were not being tapped at a rate that caused environmental degradation. However, influences such as colonial rule, population growth, urban immigration and global market trends have changed the balance between people and the country\rquote s natural resources such that now there is increasing pressure on the resources and increasing impoverishment among the people. Despite the obvious need to make use of Tanzania\rquote s natural resources, the government has also recognized the need for conservation and the potential of tourism. Multiple reserves and parks have been established, and policies have been put in place to encourage sustainable use of the country's resources. However, these efforts have not been consolidated and enforcement is lacking while, at the same time, the people do not see the value in such laws. The Participatory Environmental Resources Management (PERM) Project was developed to instill Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) into Tanzanian society as a means of reaching the USAID/Tanzania program goal of strengthening natural resource management. This project is seen as an investment in the people of Tanzania and in conservation. The expected results of PERM are: Establish a consolidated policy framework for CBNRM that will be effective and conducive to communication and participation; Creation and strengthening of CBNRM institutions; Enhancement of private sector capacity to participate in CBNRM; Increased awareness of CBNRM benefits among people; Participation by local people in sustainable resource management activities.