UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA
MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND TOURISM
TANZANIA FOREST FUND STRATEGIC PLAN
July 2012 - June 2015
April, 2012
ACRONMYS
AWPs: Annual Work Plans
CTF: Conservation Trust Fund
CSOs: Civil Society Organisations
IFRS: International Financial Reporting Standards
LGAs: Local Government Authorities
NGO: Non-Governmental Organisation
MNRT Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism
TFS: Tanzania Forest Services
SP: Strategic Plan
SWOC: Strength, Weakness, Opportunities & Challenges
SFM: Sustainable Forest Management
ICT: Information and Communication Technology
TAFORI: Tanzania Forestry Research Institute
KRA: Key Result Area
M&E: Monitoring and Evaluation
TP: Transit Pass
PREFACE
The policy, legal and institutional framework for forest sector supports the use of the Tanzania Forest Fund as one among other modalities to finance sustainable forest management. Tanzania Forest Fund is a Conservation Trust Fund established by Act of parliament Cap. 323 [R.E. 2002] to provide stable and long term source of funding for sustainable conservation and management `of forest resources in Tanzania. The Tanzania Forest Fund is a Public Fund made operational in 2010 as a Not-for-Profit organization governed by Board of Trustees.
The main intent of establishing the Tanzania Forest Fund is to address the need for a long-term sustainable mechanism to funding the management of forest resources in Tanzania. Inadequate financial resources to support sustainable management of forests in Tanzania revealed the need for establishment of the Tanzania Forest Fund. To make sure that resources are allocated in the most efficient manner, Tanzania Forest Fund has developed this strategic plan which will be used to guide the implementation process of its objectives over the next three years (2012/13- 2014/15).
This strategic plan has been developed based on seven objectives of the Fund namely:-
(a) Promote awareness of the importance of the protection, development and sustainable use of forest resources through public education and training;
(b) Promote and assist in the development of community forestry directed towards the conservation and protection of the forest resources of the country through the making of grants and providing advice and assistance to groups of persons wishing to form themselves into a group;
(c) Promote and fund research into forestry;
(d) Assist in enabling Tanzania to benefit from international initiatives and International funds directed towards the conservation and protection of biological diversity and the promotion of sustainable development of forest resources;
(e) Assist groups of persons and individuals to participate in any public debates and discussions on forestry and in particular to participate in processes connected with the making of an environmental impact assessment.
(f) Assist groups of persons and individuals to ensure compliance with the Act;
(g) Promote such other activities of a like nature to those set out in this section as will advance the purposes of the Act.
With great pleasure I present the Tanzania Forest Fund Strategic plan for the stated period. In this regard, I wish to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of the team which developed this important working document, without whom producing this document would have been impossible.
I wish, therefore, to challenge all Tanzania Forest Fund Secretariat and stakeholders to fully commit themselves to the implementation of this plan and to periodically monitor and evaluate its implementation and reporting on the overall performance for the benefit of the people of Tanzania.
Prof. Said Iddi
Chairman
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Tanzania Forest Fund is a Conservation Trust Fund established by the Forest Act Cap. 323 [R.E. 2002] under Sections 79 – 83, as a mechanism to provide long term reliable and sustainable financial support to Forest Conservation and Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) in the Country. The Tanzania Forest Fund is a Public Fund which was made operational in July 2010 as a Not-for-Profit organization governed by Board of Trustees. The main intent of establishing the Tanzania Forest Fund is to mobilize and provide stable and long term sources of funding for conservation and sustainable management of natural resources in Tanzania.
The major roles of the Fund include:- Mobilizing financial resources through Fundraising, Investments and Services; Funding Programmes and /or Projects through award of grants ; and supervising and administering Fund resources and operations as stipulated under the provision which established by the Act.
Tanzania Forest Fund operates throughout Mainland Tanzania and provides assistance to various stakeholders who are committed to sustainable management of forest resources including improving livelihoods of communities adjacent to forests, protected areas and forest plantations. Priority areas for funding includes forest resource conservation and management aimed at ensuring proper forest land management as well as ecosystem conservation, community based conservation and sustainable livelihoods focusing on promoting community conservation initiatives at improving benefit sharing of community adjacent to forest resource base, and applied and adaptive research on management of forest resources and livelihood.
The sources of funds for the Fund are levy of 2% of every prescribed fee payable under the Forest Act; a levy of 3% of any royalty payable under the Act; grants, donations, bequests or such sums contributed by any private individuals, corporate bodies, foundations, or international organizations or funds within or outside the country; any sums realized by sale of any forest produce confiscated under any of the provisions of the act; any income generated by any project financed by the Fund, due allowance being made for any necessary expenses which must be met by any such project; and any such funds acquired from various sources.
Environmental scanning for The Tanzania Forest Fund was conducted to determine the internal and external factors that would influence its success. Scanning identifies Strengths, Weaknesses, Challenges and Opportunities (SWOC) existing in the environment. Internal environmental scanning was carried out to assess interaction within the Fund on access to financial resources, awareness, organizational structure and operational potential. While external analysis involves analysis of stakeholders of the Fund, their roles, expectations and potential impacts. Discussions, consultative meetings, and surveys were tools used to assess the environment.
The Fund is envisaged to address seven key result areas (KRAs). Each key result area addresses the Fund Strategic Objective. The Strategic Objectives include:- Public awareness on the importance of the protection, development and sustainable use of forest resources promoted; Community forestry conservation and protection initiatives promoted and developed; Applied and adaptive Research related to forestry funded; Tanzania to benefit from international initiatives and funds directed towards the conservation and protection of biological diversity enhanced; Individuals and groups participation in public debates and discussions on forestry assisted; Compliance with Forest Act and regulations by individuals, groups and communities ensured; and Institutional capacity to raise funds, manage and organise funding attained. Under each Strategic objective, targets were set to address each objective. A total of 16 targets were set to address the seven strategic objectives for the Fund. Key performance indicators for each strategic objective and targets were developed to assess implementation performance.
To make sure that resources are allocated in the most efficient manner, the Fund developed this Strategic Plan to guide the implementation process of its objectives over the next three years (2012/13- 2014/15). For the Fund to implement this Strategic Plan properly and effectively, implementation and coordination framework is crucial. This will strengthen the capacity of the Fund in terms of staffing, systems and facilities. As part of the implementation framework, monitoring and evaluation will be undertaken to track progress of the Fund. The lessons learned will be incorporated into future plan.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACRONMYS ii
PREFACE… iii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY v
TABLE OF CONTENTS vii
1.0 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background information 1
1.2 Strategic Planning Process 2
1.3 Scope and Purpose 2
2.0 THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN 4
2.1 INTRODUCTION 4
2.2 Management of the Tanzania Forest Fund 4
2.2.1 Board of Trustees 4
2.2.2 Secretariat 4
2.3 SWOC analysis of the Fund 5
2.3.1 SWOC Analysis Tool 5
2.4 Performance Review 6
2.5 Stakeholder Analysis 7
3.0 THE PLAN 10
3.1 INTRODUCTION 10
3.2 Vision, Mission and Core values 10
3.2.1 Vision 10
3.2.2 Mission 10
3.2.3 Core Values of the Fund 10
3.3 Fund Intervention areas 11
3.4 KRA 1: Public awareness on sustainable forest resource use 11
3.4.1 Rationale 11
3.4.2 Strategic objective A: Public awareness on the importance of the protection, development and sustainable use of forest resources promoted. 11
3.4.3 Strategic interventions 11
3.4.4 Targets 11
3.4.5 Key Performance Indicators 12
3.5 KRA 2: Promotion of Community forestry initiatives 12
3.5.1 Rationale 12
3.5.2 Strategic objective B: Community forestry conservation and protection initiatives promoted and developed. 12
3.5.3 Strategic interventions 12
3.5.4 Targets 12
3.5.5 Key Performance Indicators 12
3.6 KRA 3: Funding forestry applied research 13
3.6.1 Rationale 13
3.6.2 Strategic objective C: Applied and Adaptive Research related to forestry funded. 13
3.6.3 Strategic interventions 13
3.6.4 Targets 13
3.6.5 Key Performance Indicators 13
3.7 KRA 4: Benefits from International financing initiatives 13
3.7.1 Rationale 13
3.7.2 Strategic objective D: Tanzania to benefit from international initiatives and funds directed towards the conservation and protection of biological diversity enhanced. 14
3.7.3 Strategic interventions 14
3.7.4 Targets 14
3.7.5 Key Performance Indicators 14
3.8 KRA 5: Individuals and Groups Participation in Public debates on forestry 14
3.8.1 Rationale 14
3.8.2 Strategic objective E: Individuals and groups participation in public debates and discussions on forestry assisted. 15
3.8.3 Strategic interventions 15
3.8.4 Targets 15
3.8.5 Key Performance Indicators 15
3.9 KRA 6: Compliance with Forest legislation 15
3.9.1 Rationale 15
3.9.2 Strategic objective F: Compliance with Forest Act and regulations by individuals, groups and communities ensured 16
3.9.3 Strategic interventions 16
3.9.4 Targets 16
3.9.5 Key Performance Indicators 16
3.10 KRA 7: Institutional capacity building 16
3.10.1 Rationale 16
3.10.2 Strategic objective G: Institutional capacity to raise funds, manage and organise funding attained 17
3.10.3 Strategic interventions 17
3.10.4 Targets 17
3.10.5 Key Performance Indicators 17
4. 0 IMPLEMENTATION AND COORDINATION FRAMEWORK 18
5.0 FINANCING 21
5.1 Financing Mechanism 21
5.2 Source of Tanzania Forest Fund Financing 21
5.3 Fund Disbursement 22
5.4 Financial Reporting 22
5.5 Accounts and Auditing 22
5.6 Annual Reporting 22
6.0 MONITORING AND REVIEW 24
ANNEX 1: SUMMARY OF OBJECTIVES, TARGETS AND ACTIVITY SHEET FOR FY 2011/12 26
ANNEX 2: TANZANIA FOREST FUND REVENUE PROJECTIONS FOR THE PERIOD 2012/13 – 2014/2015 30
25
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background information
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has been decreed to ensure adequate financial resource are identified and collected so that challenges facing the Forestry sector are lessened. In 2002, the idea of establishing Forest Fund was initiated through the Act of Parliament Cap 323 of 2002. The Tanzania Forest Fund was established under Sections 79 – 83, as a mechanism to provide long term reliable and sustainable financial support to forest conservation and Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) in the country. The Fund was made operational in July 2010 through Treasury Circular No. 4 of 2009.
The Tanzania Forest Fund is a Conservation Trust Fund established to mobilize and provide stable and long term sources of funding for conservation and sustainable management of natural resources in Tanzania. The Fund is managed by the Forest Fund Trustees from varied fields of competency who hold term for 3 years and are eligible to be re-appointed for one further term. Trustees are assisted by full-time Fund Secretariat, to ensure that the day-to-day Fund activities are implemented. The Secretariat is led by the Administrative Secretary.
The major roles of Tanzania Forest Fund are:
(1) Mobilizing financial resources through Fundraising, Investments and Services;
(2) Funding Programmes and /or Projects through award of grants or implementing directly, changing attitude through building capacity or generating knowledge.
(3) Supervising and administering Fund resources and operations as stipulated under the provision which established by the Act.
Section 80 of the Forest Act stipulates the objectives of the Fund as follows: -
a) Promote awareness of the importance of the protection, development and sustainable use of forest resources through public education and training;
b) Promote and assist in the development of community forestry directed towards the conservation and protection of the forest resources of the country through the making of grants and providing advice and assistance to groups of persons wishing to form themselves into a group;
c) Promote and fund research into forestry;
d) Assist in enabling Tanzania to benefit from international initiatives and International funds directed towards the conservation and protection of biological diversity and the promotion of sustainable development of forest resources;
e) Assist groups of persons and individuals to participate in any public debates and discussions on forestry and in particular to participate in processes connected with the making of an environmental impact assessment provided under section 18;
f) Assist groups of persons and individuals to ensure compliance with the Act;
g) Promote such other activities of a like nature to those set out in this section as will advance the purposes of the Act.
1.2 Strategic Planning Process
Strategic planning is a critical component of good management and governance. It ensures that an organization remains relevant and responsive to the needs of its community, and contributes to organizational stability and growth. Strategic planning provides a basis for implementation and monitoring for assessing results and impacts. It facilitates new program development and enables an organization to look into the future in an orderly and systematic way. Strategic planning is concerned with resource allocation and would not be relevant if resources are unlimited. The strategic plan for Tanzania Forest Fund aims to explain how finance, financial goals, and financial performance can play a more integral role in the strategic planning and decision-making process, particularly in the implementation and monitoring stage.
Preparation of the Tanzania Forest Fund Strategic plan started in December 2011 by formulation of a Task force, which composed representatives from MNRT’s Policy and Planning Division, Tanzania Forest Service Agency, Tanzania Forest Fund, Management of Information System, Finance and Accounts and Procurement. In the process of preparing the undersigned Strategic Plan (2012/13 – 2014/15) the Task force went through important stages that ultimately developed a useful document to aid the Fund in achieving its ultimate goals. The task force reviewed number of documents relevant to the area of intention, and number of consultative meetings with relevant stakeholders were conducted.