Do community perceptions of forest management and conservation vary across wealth groups? The case of the Kilosa REDD + initiative in Tanzania

Abstract

Various community groups tend to interact with their environments differently. Understanding how forest dwelling communities interact with their environment provides important insights for promoting sustainable forest governance. We studied the perceptions of four communities across wealth groups (poor, medium, better-off) on forest management and conservation under the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation plus (REDD +) initiative in Tanzania. Results showed that whereas general community awareness of forest management and conservation across wealth groups varied significantly, their perceptions on the extent of occurrences of several aspects/attributes of forest management and conservation were relatively symmetrical across all wealth groups. Community willingness to participate in forest management and conservation was also not significantly different across all wealth groups, apart from participation in trainings/workshops. Overall, community perceptions showed mixed results. The observed similarities and variations across wealth groups within the community are crucial to informing future REDD + actions. Thus, policies, plans and strategies related to REDD + should consider these dynamics.