African Rainforest Conservancy

Background
The African Rainforest Conservancy promotes the conservation and restoration of African rainforests by empowering local communities to preserve their natural heritage. One of the most bio-diverse habitats in the world these forests are under immense pressure, only 30% of these trees are still standing. ARC provides the core funding for the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG) a highly respected indigenous forest conservation organisation. The TFCG has pioneered Participatory Forest Management, collaboration between local communities, government and the forestry department. The result is local villages are governing their forests and stopping anyone from clearing land or poaching timber, and consequently the forests are coming back.

Community Partnership
Like most communities in Tanzania, those that live along the coast belt and on the Eastern Arc Mountains depend heavily on natural resources to meet their livelihood needs. Many community members live at or below the poverty line. Among the natural resources that occur in this region are tropical high forests. These forests are divided into two ecological zones, a) medium sized forest blocks on the tops of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and b) small to medium sized patches of forest scattered like an archipelago along the coastal belt. Due to climatic stability over geological time scales, these forests have evolved a very large number of different plants and animals, making them extremely diverse. Recent global analysis has classified them as one of the twenty-five most important areas for the conservation of different plants and animals (biological diversity) on earth. These forests are additionally, an important resource for surrounding communities and nationally important as water catchments for both water supplies and electricity generation. Many of these forests are under threat especially those close to urban centres.

Community dependence on forests varies from place to place as does the use and dependence on the forests by men and women. A major challenge is changing from short term unsustainable patterns of resource use to long term sustainable patterns. Forest management partnerships between government and communities are increasingly recognised as an essential mechanism in securing the survival of these kinds of forest. These partnerships are often referred to as “Joint Forest Management – JFM”. They have the potential to secure tenure and user rights for communities, increase long term livelihood security for households and increase the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation, as well as promoting the search for alternatives to forest exploitation.

Ruvu South Forest Reserve
The Ruvu South Forest Reserve is a central government forest reserve where Joint Forest Management has been initiated to empower the surrounding communities to manage the reserve in partnership with the government. The reserve is a mosaic of coastal forest and woodland and is home to six species considered to be endangered by IUCN and 25 species considered vulnerable. Only 20 km from Dar es Salaam, the 35,000 hectare reserve is under extreme pressure from illegal logging and charcoal production. Since 1999, TFCG has been working with the communities and other stakeholders to establish joint forest management for the reserve and community based forest management for patches of forest adjacent to the reserve.

Tusk Trust Support
A £2,000 grant from Tusk has allowed TFCG to conduct environmental education days in adjacent villages to promote JFM and support local conservation networks in advocating for the equitable implementation of joint forest management.

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