MAMA MISITU CAMPAIGN

Mama Misitu campaign (MMC) is a communications initiative aiming at improving the governance of Tanzania's forestry, by reducing illegal forest harvesting so that people of Tanzania can increasingly benefit from sustainably managed forests. This campaign is coordinated by Tanzania Natural Resource Forum

Specifically, MMC aims at improving governance of Tanzania's forestry resources, bring positive change in forest governance, reduce illegal forest harvesting and increase legitimate benefits from sustainably managed forests to local communities.

Background: Mama Misitu campaign came into existence in response to TRAFFIC’s 2007 report on the illegal logging in Southern Tanzania: “lessons learnt from a logging boom in Southern Tanzania”. This was a special report that unveiled several key issues, including revenue shortfalls, large-scale corruption, and unsustainable rates of harvesting and loss of biodiversity. The report gave a lot of recommendations among them being for community participation in forest management through outreach and advocacy to reduce illegal logging. It is due to these recommendations that this project was developed and implemented.

Pilot phase:In 2008, Tanzania Forest Working Group (TFWG) under the coordination of Tanzania Natural Resource Forum (TNRF) launched a pilot phase of Mama Misitu Campaign.

Phase 1 (2012-2017):Implementation phase 1 of the project started in 2012 to 2016; and at the end of 2014,the campaign revisited its objectives and strategies with an aim of re-strategizing the program with more innovative and cost effective interventions to deliver better results, improve efficiency and add value to both the campaign and partners. Also the redesign was geared at improving coordination among partners, improved financial system and procedures-including improved internal control, refocused activities with clearly defined results and indicators of success.The campaign was designed to deliver the five outcomes including:(1) Public debate generated on the need for improved forest governance (2) National government and government agencies provide more support to improving forest governance and combating forest crime (3) District authorities and local law enforcement agencies improving their standards of forest governance (4) Forest adjacent communities are effectively governing forests resources, equally benefiting, advocating for their rights, and involved in combating forest crime and (5) Forest based businesses actively engaged to improve forest governance and effectively complying to forestry trade regulations.

Lessons from Phase 1 implementation

  • Through the campaign, the MMC journalists database was created, this is an imperative step towards creating sustainability of forest governance trained Journalist who will frequently report on forest governance. Out of 15 engaged Journalists, only seven have remained activeon reporting forest governance until today and so far 78 investigative articles and news sport have been produced. Also simplified advocacy materials (10,000 stickers, 8,000 fliers, 24,000 calendars, (200) copies of documentary of community enterprises and 300 copies of CDs and DVDs sustainable charcoal) were also produced and distributed to targeted audience.
  • The MMC has made a difference to community and forest products traders on how they value natural forests (i.e. both utilization and ecological values) for-example, the forest products traders who were involved in advocacy process increasingly realized the importance of networking, unifying and registering associations to amplify their voice collectively to bring synergic effects.
  • Benefit sharing, through PFM, the campaign has advocated for the conducive environment for communities to benefit from forest resources and empowered them to have collective decision-making on their resources.A number of benefit sharing guidelines were produced and shared accordingly.
  • Their understandings of rules and regulations relevant to forestry, rights and responsibilities have tremendously increased during MMC period. Due to Efforts taken by MMC on dissemination of information on forest trade legality (JFM, CBFM guidelines Swahili version, leaflets and sign boards of the forest products forest legality checklist), multi-stakeholder forums at all levels, inclusively with innovative Tax compliance training has attributed to increasing forest product traders compliance on forest product trade procedures.
  • Behavioral change,The campaign has influenced positive attitude and behavioral change among political leaders, foresters, traders and community members on conservation and management of natural forests for example; Communities are able to take action on illegal timber trade, holding their leaders accountable on issues pertaining to the expenditure of income generated either from forest resources. Also there is increased numbers of off targeted project villages demanding up scaling MMC interventions to their villages e.t.c
  • Social accountability, Communities are able to take action on illegal timber trade, holding their leaders accountable on issues pertaining to the expenditure of income generated either from forest resources or from other sources.
  • Forest traders through their associations in Lindi and Nachingwea have made a collective decision to burn the use of chainsaws in harvesting forest resources to comply with the government directives.

Next step:It is obvious that Mama Misitu Campaign has contributed towards narrowing critical gaps identified in TRAFFIC Report of 2007but still there is much to be done for the sake of forestry sector. There are lots of lessons leant from this implementation phase, number of recommendations from various reports have been provided and hence need to be worked upon.

For more information about the campaign:

Sophia C. Masuka-Communication and Advocacy Coordinator I Email:

Mobile - +255 754409776