Influence of forest land tenure regimes on forest condition in Uluguru mountains, Tanzania

Abstract

The paper scrutinizes the current wave of forest land tenure reforms since the inception of the new forest policy in 1998. It explores which type of forestland tenure regime had more positive influence on forest condition in the Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania. The assessment was done with reference to vegetation types of montane and miombo woodlands. The study showed that for the montane vegetation, state regime (Uluguru Nature Reserve) had higher stocking (volume 1,233m3/ha; basal area 78m2/ha; density 777 stems/ha) and tree species diversity (H’ 3.48) compared to communal regime (Chief Kingalu Sacred Forest) which had low stocking(volume 798m3/ha; basal area 49m2/ha; density 1,020 stems/ha) and tree species diversity (H’ 3.21). For the miombo vegetation, corporate/private regime (Tangeni Roman Catholic Church Forest Reserve) had higher stocking (volume 122m3/ha; basal area 27m2/ha and density 2,573 stems/ha) and tree species diversity (H’ 2.60) compared to communal regime (Misumba Village Land Forest Reserve) which had low stocking (volume 23m3/ha; basal area 10.8m2/ha and density 4,200 stems/ha) and tree species diversity (H’ 3.53). The study concludes that state regime represented by Uluguru Nature Reserve showed improved forest condition compared to communal tenure regime (Chief Kingalu Sacred Forest) for the montane vegetation type while private regime (Tangeni Roman Catholic Church Forest Reserve) was more effective in conservation than communal regime (Misumba Village Land Forest Reserve). The study recommends that sustainable management of forests could not be addressed by tenure reforms in the forestry sector alone, but requires 'cross-sectoral', 'inter-disciplinary' and 'participatory' approach along with secure tenure. Moreover, it is essential that an in-depth forest inventory is conducted at predetermined intervals to quantify stocking of tree, shrub species and forest disturbances to understand the level of resource extraction for each tenure regime. Key words : Tenure regimes, reforms, forest condition, Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania.