| Résumé: |
National Forest Reserves cover more than half of the Mlele District, in Tanzania, and restrict the use of natural resources for the local population, whose livelihoods still depend on it. The District is undergoing major socio-economic changes that alter the society’s organisation and increase the pressure on the resources. This master’s thesis combines a political ecology approach with the commons theory to study the relationships between the users, the resources, and the rules governing the Forest Reserves and the influence of broader politico-economic processes. It shows that local government managers only partially enforce the laws, leaving many users, driven by their financial interests, to access resources not only legally but frequently illegally. This system is excessively beneficial for users with financial and social capital and corrupt state agents. It is due to a severe lack of resources but also to the way public institutions operate in Tanzania which impacts the work of local managers. Forest ecosystems harbour crucial natural resources but could collapse in the short term. Cultivated areas have increased by 250% in 13 years, encroaching on reserves. Moreover, even if 43 mammal species were inventoried, the patrimonial species were very scarce. The current governance of Forest Reserves does not allow for sustainable natural resources uses and jeopardises the local population’s livelihoods in the long term. Consequently, governance arrangements need to be redefined to ensure a sustainable and fair use and create conditions for local users’ involvement in Forest Reserve management. Community-based management provided by the Tanzanian legal framework could theoretically give users more rights but it still has limitations and requires a complex implementation. Moreover, the central state’s power over natural resources and the lack of law enforcement question the incentives created by CBNRM approaches at local level. |
Mémoire [13 Mo]