Participatory Land-Use Planning: Integrating Expert-Oriented and Community-Based Tools for Sustainable Land Management in Kilimanjaro Region

Abstract

Tanzania like other countries globally has witnessed a paradigm shift in natural resource planning and management from state-centric to community based approach. The shift was inevitable following the experienced inadequacies of the state capacity in-terms of human and financial resources to manage natural resources in a sustainable way, which in turn exacerbate natural resource degradation. It was consequently envisaged that giving people stake in the planning and management endeavors would help fill the gap. While the manifestation of this shift in the country started since the mid-1990s, little empirical evidence exists on the value of participatory land use planning in ensuring sustainable management of natural resources. This study provides an account on the way participatory land use planning through Sustainable Land Management (SLM) project in Kilimanjaro region has integrated expert-oriented (GIS) and community-based (PRA) tools as a move towards sustainable land management in the region.

Keywords: community viz expert oriented tools, participatory land use planning, sustainable management, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania