Natural resource use conflicts in a changing climate: The case of the wetlands of Kilombero and Kilosa districts in Tanzania.

Abstract

Abstract In Tanzania studies on conflicts between subsistence farmers and agropastoralists/pastoralists as well communities versus conservationists have been frequently reported. These include studies on water use conflicts in the Pangan River Basin. Agropastoralists have also been evicted as a result of these conflicts. The overriding tendency has thus been centered on discussion about what keeps pastoralists and crop cultivators apart rather than what keeps them together. Although conflicts occur mainly as a result of resource competition, some conflicts constitute only one aspect of a much more complex interaction between the two groups. Little has been documented in examining the relative contribution of climatic and non-climatic factors in aggravating these conflicts and how this triggers various dimensions of conflicts among livelihood groups. This study examined the relative contribution of climatic and non-climatic factors as causes of natural resource conflict, based on a study conducted in Kilosa and Kilombero districts in south-central Tanzania. The study further examined conflict resolution mechanisms in terms of adaptive capacity to address these issues in a changing climate and in particular explored the roles of institutions in conflict resolution, and the associated challenges and opportunities involved. The study was conducted through a household survey, focus group discussions and expert interviews with Kilosa and Kilombero district land planning officers. The aim was to understand the challenges of land use planning and how those transformed into conflicts between users. The results of the interviews in the two districts revealed that there were land conflicts related to boundary disputes between and among villages, investors against villages or communities, and government agencies versus villages or investors. Unlike Kilosa, Kilombero District had more land conflicts involving villages and government institutions. There is a complicated land conflict in 25 villages against the Ramsar site area.