Context
Kizingata forest reserves is located adjacent to Amani Nature Reserve (ANR).It falls under (ICCAs), because apart from legal forms that mandate the ownership and management of these forest reserves also is managed by traditional norms, such traditional norms include conservation of sacred species and areas in forest, conservation of medicinal plants, regeneration of indigenous species locally and others. The area is important for biodiversity conservation and provision of ecological services. Through these ecological services received, it makes agricultural production around the area viable and hence sustaining the community members' livelihood. Due to increase in population size around the area, some of community members have started to cultivate around forest reserve and demanded to convert this important area for conservation to agricultural initiatives although is managed under CBFM approach.
This project will address this problem by using traditional knowladge and ecotourism approches.It will identify all traditional norms which are applicable for conservation of biodiversity and water catchment areas, it will build capacity to community members on how to apply these norms together with legal forms. It will also establish a beekeeping and butterfly farming initiatives for conservation, ecotourism and income generation purposes. It will build capacity to communities on running the mentioned initiatives. By application of two approaches the project will attain its goal.
2. About the Proponent:
The Mtandao wa Jamii wa Usimamizi wa Misitu Tanzania (MJUMITA) in english also known as The Community Forest Conservation Network of Tanzania is a network of community groups involved in Participatory Forest Management (PFM) in Tanzania. The network provides a forum for capacity building, advocacy and communication for these groups. MJUMITA?s vision is to see a Tanzanian society care for, sustainably manage, and benefit from natural forests. MJUMITA?s mission is to to secure the rights of local communities to own, manage, and benefit from sustainably managed natural forests, to provide platforms for leaning, experience sharing, and amplifying the voice of MJUMITA members to advocate for their institutional and national goals
In 2013 MJUMITA supported Kiwalani Women Group from Mkuranga to establish their mushroom farming enterprise using both traditional and modern knowledge. The group was able to incorporate their traditional knowledge in mushroom farming alongside the modern knowledge and this resulted in improved yields and hence more income for the group. From the proceeds the group managed to expand their business and was also trained on marketing skills as fund management.
3. Project?s Primary Objective:
Main objective
To improve biodiversity conservation and enhancement of the community members livelihood.
Specific objectives
? To identify and document traditional norms that are used for biodiversity conservation in area.
? To build capacity on application of traditional norms together with legal forms in managing forest reserve.
? To establish friendly environmental income generating activities based on local knowladge and modern forms.
? To develop and promotes ecotourism activities in Kizingata forest reserve
4. Implementation Strategies:
The project will use the following interrelated strategies which are community participatory approach, capacity building, awareness creation and enhancement of alternative livelihood in order to meet its goal and objectives.
? Meeting with traditional clan leaders to identify and develop a document for this traditional norms applied in conservation of biodiversity in area.
? Create awareness and disseminate knowladge on this traditional norms through build capacity to forest actors on this norms and conducting general assembly meeting to present this traditional norms
? Facilitate dialogues with different stakeholders on how to apply both formal and traditional norms interchangeably to conserve Kizingata forest reserve.
? Establish 2 income generating initiatives which are butterfly farming and beekeeping farming for biodiversity conservation, ecotourism and income generation
? Facilitate training based on traditional and modern form for butterfly and beekeeping farming
? Construct butterfly cages and procure beehives for this initiatives
? Established local ecotourism enterprise for better operation of ecotourism activities.
? Facilitate a meeting to introduce ecotourism concept to community members
? Develop a guideline to run this established ecotourism enterprise
? Build capacity to few members to run the enterprise
? Advertise the enterprise to attract local and foreign visitors to visit Kizingata forest reserve attractions
? Finally, the project will conduct monitoring and evaluation