Pastoral Grazing in Tanzania’s Village Forest Reserves: Unearthing Extra-Ecological Motives for (In-)Compatibility

The colonial imposition of scientific forestry in Africa criminalised a range of uses, including grazing in forests. Following decentralised forestry, village land forest reserves (VLFRs) were established in Tanzania, where villages could ostensibly prescribe customary uses. The question remains: Can VLFRs be conceived of as grazing spaces? To address this question, we conducted a qualitative, multi-scalar analysis at the village, district, and national levels. We conducted 40 interviews and 31 FGDs and reviewed 70 documents. We noted that debates about grazing-VLFR incompatibility are not exclusively hinged on ecological sustainability but a cocktail of extra-ecological concerns. These include the socio-politics of identity and belonging, costs of conservation, peace and security, and economic and scientific epistemes mobilised by different actors. Furthermore, we argue that the politics of legitimation and regulation related to dominant ideologies and institutions further complicate this relationship. We conclude that one ought to appreciate the scaled contextual and historical specificities shaping debates before passing judgment on (in)compatibility.