Balancing economic growth and forest conservation in Tanzania: Challenges and opportunities for livelihood restoration

By Mbazi Gabriel Marisa, Forestry and Development Expert

Today, Tanzania stands at a crucial intersection where economic growth and environmental sustainability must pair.

The country which is home to 48.1 million hectares of forest, with 58.2% being a protected area while the remaining 41.9 percent being for harvesting, is in dire need of a sustainability framework that inte­grates ecological preservation with economic ambitions has never been more pressing.

Many livelihood restoration pro­jects, backed by international devel­opment institutions and conserva­tion agencies, seek to expand forest conservation efforts while promot­ing sustainable economic opportu­nities.

These initiatives introduce alter­native income-generating activities, such as beekeeping, sustainable agriculture, and ecotourism, intended to replace unsus­tainable practices like charcoal production and slash-and-burn farming.

Dr Severin Kalonga, Lead of the Forest Landscape Restoration in Africa Initiative at WWF Tanzania, emphasized that African forestry policies can better integrate conser­vation goals with sustainable liveli­hoods by ensuring a thorough and transparent stakeholder engage­ment process through a bottom-up approach.

Drawing from international best practices, Dr Kalon­ga under­scored the importance of forest certification to strength­en Africa’s plantation models while ensuring that local communities maintain agency over their land and resources.

But the above-named intellectual thought brings more questions than answers only if you view it from real­ity grounds.

Proposed methods, for instance agroforestry models, they strongly detach local communities not only from total access to fertile plantation land but also reaping commercial benefits, creating a cycle of econom­ic instability, where communities remain dependent on seasonal pro­grams rather than gaining true finan­cial independence.

Livelihood restoration frame­works often recognises that rural communities face challenges such as land depletion, limited economic opportunities, and dependence on rain-fed agriculture.

However, the proposed interven­tions often fail to address structural barriers such as market access, finan­cial sustainability, and long-term land tenure.

Why not try ecotourism model? Looks that this side of a coin pro­duces expeditious results.

Promoting ecotourism which currently receives inrush of tourists with the numbers rising from 41,142 in 2019 to 257,705 in 2024, will not only contributes to raising awareness about the impor­tance of preserving natural environ­ments but also supports the well-be­ing of local economies.

On the other hand, Dr Flora Ismail emphasized that balancing environ­mental sustainability with the eco­nomic realities of affected communi­ties is best achieved by involving local communities in decision-making on forest management—inspired by the fact that locals are always become scapegoat for environment degrada­tion when they search for their sus­tenances.

When you speak of forest manage­ment in the country, it’s like you are calling on TFS—Tanzania Forestry Services Agency.

Prof Dos Santos Silayo, Chief Con­servation Officer at TFS highlighted how the agency balances commercial forestry with ecological integrity and community benefits by adopting a mosaic approach, preserving natural forests for biodiversity and catch­ment protection.

Tanzania’s Forest Services (TFS) has fostered relationships with vil­lage environmental committees and works closely with local guides and experts in ecotourism initiatives.

TFS also builds community capac­ity to exploit non-timber forest prod­ucts, such as medicinal plants and honey, providing alternative income sources.

Additionally, TFS has helped com­munities establish land-use plans and supplied tree seedlings for conserva­tion and production areas, reducing conflicts between conservation goals and community land usage.

Prof. Dos Santos Silayo highlight­ed that large-scale plantation forestry under the Tanzania Forestry Services Agency (TFS) is structured to support both national economic objectives and local livelihoods by sustainably supplying raw materials for indus­tries, generating government revenue through timber sales and taxes, and fostering exports.

TFS integrates community needs into project planning, working with local authorities to address social and economic challenges.

This approach enhances food security, provides employment, and strengthens community capacity through training in forest manage­ment, resource utilization, marketing, and income diversification, ensuring shared benefits from commercial for­estry.

In line with the commitment to sus­tainable forest management, the Tan­zania Forest Service (TFS) has under­taken several initiatives to enhance the protection of the country’s forests. These include the erection of 11,325 posts and the display of 5,669 post­ers with various messages on forest conservation.

Additionally, the Agency has been actively involved in verifying and clear­ing the boundaries of forest reserves, covering a total of 256,422 kilome­ters.

These efforts have significantly reduced conflicts between local com­munities and for­est management authorities, foster­ing greater cooper­ation and leading to more effective and sustainable forest resource management.

The production of high-quality tree seedlings has also improved signifi­cantly, with 128.1 tons of tree seeds collected between 2018 and 2023, compared to just 56.59 tons between 2014 and 2018 by the former Tanzania Tree Seed Agency (TTSA).

During the period from 2011/2012 to 2022/2023, a total of Sh 234.4 mil­lion tree seedlings were produced and distributed to citizens and various institutions.

These efforts have helped to improve access to raw materials for various forest industries, support environmental conservation, and pro­vide resources for domestic use.

Revenue from forest and bee resources has shown consistent growth, increasing from Sh 39 billion in 2010/2011, before the establish­ment of the agency, to Sh 143.5 billion in 2022/2023.

This represents a significant improvement, and overall, a total of 1.31 trillion Shillings has been col­lected since the Agency’s establish­ment.

Of this, Sh 279.5 billion have been deposited into the Consol­idated Fund to meet legal requirements and support various devel­opment initia­tives.

This increase in revenue underlines the growing importance of forest and bee resources in Tanzania’s economy, enabling further investment in con­servation and sustainable forest man­agement programs.

However, there is also a shortage of skilled human resources, with signifi­cant gaps in the number of experts in forestry and beekeeping, especially at the local government level.

For example, there is a shortfall of 237 senior officers, 1,180 forest officers, and 2,114 assistant forest officers. These resource constraints contribute to the growing threat to forest resources from illegal logging, fires, and land degradation.

Prof. Dos Santos Silayo further highlighted that TFS is implementing several strategic initiatives to enhance plantation forest sustainability while ensuring equitable benefits for local communities.

These include promoting agrofor­estry systems to support food security, issuing permits for short-term farm­ing under the Taungya scheme, and providing tree seedlings and technical support for community woodlots.

The introduction of participatory forest management (PFM) frame­works has empowered communities to manage forest reserves in partner­ship with TFS, fostering ownership and shared responsibility.

Additionally, TFS is restoring degraded areas through commercial plantations and has been appointed as the national lead agent for Forest Landscape Restoration initiatives (AFR100).

To support sustainable manage­ment, TFS collaborates with academic and research institutions at national and international levels to generate data-driven insights on the ecological, economic, and social aspects of forest resources.

Stakeholder engagement is often presented as a cornerstone of con­servation and development projects. Official plans emphasize transparen­cy, conflict mitigation, and inclusive decision-making.

Despite these commitments, the reality of stakeholder engagement often diverges from official frame­works.

A major concern is whether these strategies are designed for genuine community empowerment or simply to fulfil procedural requirements for funding and regulatory approval.

Power imbalances remain a signifi­cant concern in livelihood restoration frameworks. Who benefits most from restoration efforts the communities or the governing institutions imple­menting them?

Too often, decision-making author­ity remains centralized within conser­vation agencies and regulatory bodies, leaving communities dependent on externally controlled programs.

 For consultancy, partnership and strategic alignment please contact:

NIRAS International Consulting Oyster Plaza, 2nd Floor, Haile Selassie Rd Plot No. 1196 Msasani Penisula P.O.BOX 23070, Dar es Salaam Tanzania. Emial: [email protected] Phone number: +255 744 644 021