Abstract
In this paper, we revisit the on-the-ground reality of Burunge Wildlife Management Area (WMA) that is celebrated as one of Tanzania's best examples of community-based conservation (CBC). We find Burunge WMA rife with conflict and contestation over grievances that remained unsettled since its establishment a decade ago. These grievances have been accentuated by growing land pressure resulting from increasing human, livestock, and elephant populations, in combination with infrastructure improvements and support for agriculture-led development. The WMA governance regime has little to offer the residents and village leaders of Burunge member villages who appear hostages in a situation where interests in human development and conservation are pitted against each other, making a mockery of the notions of CBC. By re-examining this exemplary WMA case and compare our findings with the way it is being portrayed by supporting agencies, we pinpoint the tendency of the actors promoting conservation in Tanzania to misrepresent or ignore the realities on the ground that defy official policy promises. In doing this, we hope to call upon the many empathetic and hard-working individuals to end the collective failure to address this detrimental discrepancy between reality and representation, and start supporting affected residents in their struggles for self-determination.
Highlights
Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) denote a communitybased wildlife conservation approach whereby a number of villages set aside part of their village lands for wildlife protection (URT 1998)
WMAs provide a legal opportunityfor local communities to participate in wildlife management and are designed to address issues related to Access this article online
[The] growth of the WMA movement from an initial pilot WMAs to gazetted, with more in progress, indicates the popularity of the approach across the country and the wide acceptance it has received among communities as a promising approach for conservation and community development. [...] WMAs have the potential to enhance livelihoods of their [associated] communities and secure valuable areas for wildlife protection. (WWF 2014: 39)
Summary
Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) denote a communitybased wildlife conservation approach whereby a number of villages set aside part of their village lands for wildlife protection (URT 1998). Financial and so-called technical support to WMA implementation comes from a number of aid agencies and NGOs such as Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), African Wildlife Fund (AWF), PAMS foundation, and Honeyguide Foundation (HGF), among others These institutions, along with the responsible ministry, form partnerships with wildlife tourism companies that invest in WMAs in the form of land leases for hunting and photographic tourism as well as the establishment of lodges etc. It is often highlighted as the best example of CBC in Tanzania (WWF 2014; AWF n.d.) It is located at the centre of northern Tanzania’s wildlife tourism circuit, which constitutes ideal conditions to realise the WMA promises of garnering local benefits and development opportunities through wildlife-related tourism.
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