Power Struggles in the Management of Wildlife Resources: The Case of Burunge Wildlife Management Area, Tanzania

Abstract

Through a cross-sectional research design, this study examined power struggles in Burunge Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Tanzania. Four out of ten villages comprising the WMA were purposively selected, and data were collected via focus group discussions, key informant interviews, questionnaires to household heads, and a literature review. Results showed that the central government, investors and non-government organisations held institutional and strategic powers, while the democratically elected Village Councils held structural powers and lost most of their pre-WMA institutional powers to a legally required new institution, the Authorised Association. Therefore, Village Councils lost influence on strategic, institutional and management decisions pertinent to the WMA and their constituencies' livelihoods. Accordingly, Burunge WMA dedemocratised wildlife management by eroding the relevance of Village Councils to their constituencies. The study also found power struggles over revenues, land management and access to resources among the stakeholders, mainly due to a divergence of interests. However, there was no conflict management mechanism in place. Hence, we recommend that the institutional powers to establish, govern and dissolve WMAs should go back to Village Councils. The purpose is to establish economic incentive structures that promote (i) wildlife conservation, (ii) an equitable distribution of associated costs and benefits between Village Councils forming WMAs and (iii) an equitable distribution of costs and benefits between WMAs and higher levels of government as well as international conservation NGOs.

Comparative Assessment of UAV and Sentinel-2 NDVI and GNDVI for Preliminary Diagnosis of Habitat Conditions in Burunge Wildlife Management Area, Tanzania

“…The rains fall in two seasons: the short-rainy season spans between November and February, while the heavy rainy season is between March and May [51]. The mean annual temperature ranges between 8 • C and 33 • C, depending on elevation [52,53]. The WMA's elevation is 1000 m above sea level (m.a.s.l.).…”

Designed for accumulation by dispossession: An analysis of Tanzania's Wildlife Management Areas through the case of Burunge

“…The AA was sued for unauthorized use of their village land to establish the WMA. The investor was sued for contravening an ecotourism contract entered with the village before the WMA establishment because, forced by WMA Regulations, the investor had stopped paying the village directly and started to pay the AA instead (Kicheleri, Kajembe, Treue, Mombo, & Nielsen, 2018).…”

The Contribution of Research in Combating Wildlife Poaching in Tanzania: Review of Existing Literature

“…Besides coming up with recommendations, wildlife research can also play an important role in evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing conservation policies and strategies [78][79][80][81][82]. Research may also inform the best ways of implementing the specific policy actions for combating poaching.…”

“…in management and guaranteeing them tangible benefits [22,25,79,80,82]. Essentially, the idea behind the approach is to motivate local communities to align their behaviors with conservation goals by refraining from activities which are illegal and destructive to wildlife including poaching.…”