Utilización del lenguaje cinematográfico

Participatory Forest Management began in Iringa Rural under the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA)-funded MEMA (Matumizi Endelevu ya Misitu ya Asili⁴⁶) project, which began officially in June 1999 (MEMA, 2001). The overall project consisted of two jointly-managed projects; the Udzungwa Mountains Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation Project and the Community-Based Natural Woodlands Management Project, both of which were located within Iringa Region (MEMA, 2001). The objective of MEMA was to “develop community-based sustainable management of natural forest and woodland in Iringa district, and through this effort to conserve valuable biological diversity and improve the welfare of rural poor communities” (MEMA, 2003: iii). This was to be carried out through two immediate objectives; to “develop, test and implement widely applicable Participatory Forest Management models for environmentally sustainable production, use, management and protection of natural forests and woodlands in the pilot areas”; and secondly to “support capacity development in natural forests, woodlands and biodiversity resource management in Iringa District” (MEMA, 2003: 1). MEMA targeted the forests and forest users of 23 villages, and its strategy was to establish and utilize Village Natural Resources Committees (VNRCs) to prepare forest management plans, working alongside MEMAs five zonal planning teams (MEMA, 2003). The project aimed to establish Joint Forest Management within central and local government forest reserves, and CBFM on village lands, which would then become declared Village Forest Reserves (MEMA, 2003).

The Danish government has a long history of involvement in biodiversity conservation work

46 Meaning ‘sustainable use of natural forests’.

98 in the Iringa region, for example through academic research carried out between the University of Dar es Salaam and the University of Copenhagen (MEMA, 2001). The funding was supplied by the government’s Environment, Peace and Sustainability Facility (MEMA, 2003). Implementation was carried out with the Forestry and Beekeeping Division and Lands and Natural Resources Office of Iringa District Council (MEMA, 2003). A map of the case study area for CBFM, which is located within the former Natural Woodlands Management Project, is shown in Fig. 4.3.

The process leading to MEMA began in 1992, when the Royal Danish Embassy fielded a project preparation mission to the area of the Udzungwas, thereby initiating support for the project (MEMA, 2001). This was followed by a feasibility report in 1993 (MEMA, 2001).

In 1997, a request to DANIDA was received from the Regional Commissioner’s Office in Iringa, with support from a previously ongoing project called HIMA (Hifadhi ya Mazingira⁴⁷), which asked for a revised project (MEMA, 2001). The following project identification mission in March 1998 recommended numerous forestry-related projects in the region, including foci on the Udzungwas and natural woodlands areas (MEMA, 2001). The rationale for such projects was identified as the pressure being exerted on these forest areas by the neighbouring Iringa town, and the need for design and implementation of sustainable use models (MEMA, 2001).

47 Meaning ‘conservation of the environment’.

99 Although both the Udzungwa Mountains Forest Project and the Natural Woodlands Managment Project were guided by the same principles, their specific aims differed. The Udzungwa concentrated upon conservation, whilst the natural woodlands project worked in forests that were “meant for production”, and therefore included harvesting forest products (Massao, 2003: 3). MEMA’s first phase ran from June 1999 to May 2002, and concentrated on the preparation of JFM and CBFM management plans, which were completed on the 19^th June, 2002 (Massao, 2003). The second phase ran from June 2002 to May 2003, and its focus was to test the management plans and make necessary revisions (Massao, 2003). The project was then extended further to the end of 2003 to assist the transition from MEMA to Fig.4.3: CBFM Case study area. The villages of Kiwere, Mfyome, Kitapilimwa, Kinywang’ang’a and Itagutwa and Ikengeza form part of the previous MEMA Natural Woodlands Management Project and are currently implementing CBFM on village lands.

100 national policy-aligned Participatory Forest Management projects, and the seven month extension activities included revision of the management plans, continued monitoring and evaluation and the hand-over of project assets to the Forestry and Beekeeping Division and Iringa District Council (Massao, 2003).

The initiation of MEMA in 1999 took place in between the publication of the National Forest Policy of 1998, which promoted substantial change in forest management, introducing Village Land Forest Reserves (VLFRs), National Forest Reserves and Local Authority Forest Reserves (Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, 2009) and the Forest Act of 2002, which provided the legal basis for villages to own, manage or co-manage VLFRs and to create forest management by-laws through the village forest committee (known as the VNRC or Village Environmental Committee; Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, 2009).

The authority of these village-level institutions, and their responsibility to manage lands designated as belonging to the village, is laid down in the local government reforms of 1982 and the subsequent land act of 1999 and village land act of 1999 (Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, 2009).

The CBFM village selected for further research was Kiwere. This village was selected based on the project income and its comparability to the revenues associated with MBOMIPA at the individual village level, and also due to the location of previous research within the five potential villages, in order to avoid research fatigue amongst the participants. The village is located approximately 20km from Iringa town, within the division of Kalenga. The forest has an area of 4904Ha, and the village completed the application procedure and its forest, called Kidundakiyave, was officially gazetted as a VLFR in 2002 (Village of Kiwere, 2002) Notable natural resources in the forest are wood for firewood and timber (plus other uses such as poles for house construction), stones and wild animals (Village of Kiwere, 2002).

Discussions with the village authorities confirmed that the forest is divided into several zones within its management plan, including zones for harvesting, and those closed for protection of water catchments and sensitive areas on steep hills or near water sources (Focus Group P195). The management plan for the forest sets out the rules for use of the forest, including a timetable for access for firewood collection and other activities (such as mushroom collecting), and prices for permits to carry out harvesting activities such as firewood collection for tobacco curing, charcoal making and timber felling (Village of Kiwere, 2002).

101 The management of the forest is overseen by the Village Natural Resources Committee⁴⁸, which is part of the Village Council⁴⁹ structure.