Indigenous Affairs 1/09: Indigenous peoples and forest management - before and after REDD: The case of Tanzania

While donors and many governments in developing countries are joining hands in promoting the UN Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) initiative, representatives from international NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ Organisations (IPOs) have expressed concern about the possible effects of REDD on indigenous peoples’ livelihoods. In Tanzania, enormous amounts of money are being invested in developing a national strategy for REDD, yet until recently the country’s indigenous communities had neither been informed nor invited to participate in decision-making in the course of the REDD process.

In order to contribute to the discussion of indigenous peoples’ rights in the context of a future Tanzanian national REDD strategy, this article explores how indigenous peoples have experienced the participatory forest management regime of the past few years. As we shall see, there are good reasons for concern with regard to the proposed REDD programme, if indigenous peoples are not immediately brought on board the decision-making process in a meaningful way.