Achieving Sustainable Forest Management in Tanzania: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Current Forest Protection Policies and Initiatives Designed to Stop Deforestation

Abstract

High rates of deforestation and forest degradation occurring in many tropical and subtropical forest are major global environmental issues. Specifically, deforestation and forest degradation are significant issues within Tanzania due to the fundamental role forests play in supporting local livelihoods, and the significance of Tanzania’s forests in helping to mitigate climate change. This project uses the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to evaluate Tanzania’s National Forest Policy of 1998, Participatory Forest Management (PFM), and Reducing Emissions of Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) to determine if sustainable forest management is being achieved within the country. The project reveals that Tanzania’s forest protection policies and initiatives are inadequate in achieving sustainable forest management as they do not effectively address the key drivers of deforestation and forest degradation including uncontrolled subsistence agriculture, charcoal consumption, illegal logging, in migration, and climate change. Furthermore, I discuss several recommendations for improved sustainable forest management in Tanzania.