Degradation Processes in Tanzanian Woodlands

Summary Ole Hofstad, ‘Degradation Processes in Tanzanian Woodlands’, Forum for Development Studies, 1997:1, pp. 95–115. Shifting cultivation contributes to woodland degradation. Shortening the fallow period is optimal if population growth is high, and arable land finite. Increased food production is mainly achieved through expansion of permanent agriculture. Planting of woodlots and sustainable woodland management are important, but the crucial factors are population growth and agricultural development. The effect of overgrazing is most evident in arid areas. Herd sizes grow too large during wet years to be sustained in dry years, the area available for grazing decreases, and livestock become concentrated. Most household energy consumed in urban areas is woodfuel. Reduced demand due to high price and shift to other forms of energy are the decisive factors controlling charcoal burning. Woodland degradation is influenced by institutional factors, but altered land tenure could hardly slow down clearing of arable woodlands significantly. More secure land tenure would most likely contribute to reducing overgrazing and overexploitation of non-arable woodlands.