Power struggles in Suledo village land forest reserve, Kiteto district, Tanzania

Abstract

SULEDO Village Land Forest Reserve is important in supporting livelihoods of the adjacent local communities as well as for the economic development of the country at large. However, there is inadequate information on power struggles underlying the management and utilization of SULEDO VLFR. This study intended to assess power struggles underlying resource use conflicts in SULEDO VLFR. The study was conducted in three villages namely Sunya, Lengatei and Laiseri. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Content analysis technique was used to analyze qualitative data while descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were used to analyze quantitative data. Moreover, SNA was used in the analysis of power relations. A total of 25 stakeholders involved in the management and utilization of SULEDO VLFR were identified along with their roles. Stakeholders identified were categorized into three groups namely regulators, facilitators and users. Likewise three categories of power were identified namely strategic, institutional and structural. Strategic power was found to be dominant in the management and utilization of SULEDO VLFR. The results showed different power struggles among stakeholders whereby power struggle between ZEC and SULEDO villages was found to be dominant which resulted into resource use conflicts in SULEDO VLFR. Socioeconomic and institutional factors found to significantly (P<0.05) escalating dominant power struggle between ZEC and SULEDO villages were wealth status, immigration, distance from homesteads to resource base, membership in VEC and political involvement while Education level, age, residence duration, farm size and household size were significantly (P<0.05) reducing the power struggle. Main forest resource- use conflict in SULEDO VLFR is with regards to disagreements which ii have resulted into unsustainable forest management. CBFM scheme in SULEDO VLFR remains a complex and contested arena, comprising many stakeholders with different powers and conflicting interests. It is recommended that communication among stakeholders in the study area should be improved.