Co-managing complex socialecological systems in Tanzania The case of Lake Jipe wetland

Abstract

Wetlands are important areas in Tanzania. They contain a diversity of natural resources, diversity of fauna and flora, and invaluable habitats for these life forms. Although, in the past, these areas were considered wastelands, the increase in population, and decline in production of terrestrial areas, due to among other factors drought, have led people to migrate to these areas and encroachment and conversion of wetlands to economic activities to optimize fertile and moist soils for agricultural production, and water and pastoral resources for livestock keeping, among others. However, although the wetlands support the people, i.e. by enabling food production, providing pastures for livestock, water for agriculture, livestock and domestic consumption, fishing etc., these uses, if not appropriately conducted, threaten the sustainability of the biodiversity and realization of long-term socio-economic benefits. In Tanzania, the degradation of natural resources in wetland areas has led to efforts aimed at sustainable use and management of the wetland resources. The preliminary efforts, however, were monopolised by the government, which through its command and control management approaches imposed sanctions to enforce the local community to comply with its top-down policies. Problems were witnessed in the implementation of these initiatives. For instance, due to the lack of a central wetland policy, different sectors intervened at Lake Jipe with different and often contradictory sectorally-based objectives and interests. While one sector may emphasize the conservation of a particular resource, another sector may emphasize its use without integrating environmental concerns. This has exacerbated environmental deterioration instead of curbing it. Although this sectoral perspective persists, in the recent years, the government has recognised that the rural livelihoods and wetland resources are inseparable, and therefore has gradually integrated the local people in the management processes. This shift has been contributed by, among others things, inadequacy in terms of financial and human resources to centralize the control of the vast and diverse wetland resources areas. Formal natural resources management policies now advocate the integration of local people in the management of natural resources. Nevertheless, there is an endemic lack of knowledge on how to put society-wetland collaboration into practice or how to measure the success of such collaborations in terms of sustainable management. This is particularly the case for the wetland at the centre of this thesis - Lake Jipe. This study aimed to investigate the possibility for co-management between the government and the wetland dependent people for sustainable management of Lake Jipe. The findings from this study may enable us to propose improvements to government-community collaborations for sustainable management of this lake, as well as wetlands further afield in Tanzania and East Africa.