A Pathway to Climate Resilience for Indigenous Communities in Tanzania

A Pathway to Climate Resilience for Indigenous Communities in Tanzania

Written on 08 November 2024. Posted in News

BY PAINE EULALIA MAKO FOR INDIGENOUS DEBATES

Indigenous communities in Tanzania face a myriad of challenges related to land rights, from land grabbing to environmental degradation. These communities work tirelessly to secure land and natural resources rights, aiming to strengthen their resilience against climate change. In this context, Ujamaa Community Resource Team (UCRT), an Indigenous Peoples-led non-governmental organization, promotes secure land tenure and climate resilience through innovative approaches.

Indigenous communities in Tanzania, including the Maasai, Barabaig, Akie, Sonjo and Hadzabe, rely heavily on access to communal lands for their traditional livelihoods, such as pastoralism and hunting-gathering. However, land conflicts, insufficient legal protections, and the encroachment of development projects pose significant threats to their way of life. In addition, conservation laws often prioritize wildlife and tourism over the rights of Indigenous Peoples, leading to displacement and loss of livelihoods.

The Ujamaa Community Resource Team (UCRT) addresses these challenges by supporting communities to secure Certificates of Village Land (CVLs) and communal Certificates of Customary Right of Occupancy (CCROs), which are crucial steps in land tenure security. CVLs are obtained once neighbouring villages have reached agreement on their respective outer boundaries and sometimes require the resolution of existing conflicts. After completing a land-use plan, areas for common use, such as grazing, hunting, and gathering, are titled with a CCRO.

These legal tools provide Indigenous communities with the means to control and manage their lands sustainably. By promoting connectivity and traditional land-use practices, such as rotational grazing, the Ujamaa Community Resource Team helps communities adapt to climate change impacts such as severe droughts, which are increasingly common in northern Tanzania's arid regions.

Community members point to their CCRO area. Since 2011, UCRT has secured over 1,700,000 hectares of communal land in northern Tanzania. Photo: Ujamaa Community Resource Team

Strengthening governance for sustainable resource management

Securing land rights is just the beginning. Effective resource management requires accountable governance institutions that integrate customary practices with formal legal frameworks. The Ujamaa Community Resource Team advocates for transparent and equitable governance structures that empower communities to make collective decisions about their land and resources. This approach not only ensures sustainable management of natural resources but also supports the preservation of cultural practices and traditional knowledge.

UCRT's efforts include facilitating Participatory Village Land-Use Plans (PVLUPs) and Joint Village Land-Use Plans (JVLUPs) in order to promote coordinated management of shared resources. These plans enhance the connectivity of rangelands, enabling both livestock and wildlife to move freely across the landscape. This is crucial for maintaining ecological balance and resilience against climate impacts.

Furthermore, one of the Ujamaa Community Resource Team's core objectives is to build community capacity for responsible environmental stewardship. By promoting practices such as sustainable rangeland management and integrating scientific knowledge with traditional approaches, UCRT helps communities create healthier ecosystems that are more resilient to climate change. For instance, in the Longido district, they are working with communities to improve the management of over 400,000 hectares of rangelands, benefiting both the environment and local livelihoods.

Through these initiatives, UCRT empowers communities to take proactive steps in adapting to climate variability, such as developing strategies for water conservation and soil erosion control. This capacity-building approach not only enhances climate resilience but also improves food security and reduces poverty by diversifying income sources through nature-based enterprises such as eco-tourism and carbon projects, which are developed in alliance with external actors.

By preserving native grass species, communities maintain healthy and climate-resilient grazing lands. Photo: Ujamaa Community Resource Team

Promoting Inclusive Governance and Social Equity

Equitable resource management is crucial for sustainable development. Accordingly, UCRT places a strong emphasis on empowering marginalized groups, women, and youth. Through the Women's Rights and Leadership Forums (WRLFs), UCRT's inclusive approach fosters social influence, economic empowerment, skills development opportunities, strengthened community institutions and fair governance of resources.

By ensuring that all community members have a voice in decision-making processes, UCRT aims to create governance systems that are not only effective but also just. This inclusive model supports the broader goal of achieving equitable land rights and resource management, which are essential for building resilient communities capable of withstanding the impacts of climate change.
UCRT's work in securing land rights and promoting sustainable resource management is vital for the resilience of Indigenous communities in Tanzania. By linking land tenure security with climate resilience, UCRT provides a model of how Indigenous-led conservation can support both human and environmental well-being. As the challenges of climate change and land alienation intensify, the need for such community-driven approaches becomes ever more critical.

UCRT's advocacy efforts are amplified at the national level through its collaboration with national organizations such as PINGOs Forum and Tanzania Land Alliance. They also extend beyond Tanzania's borders: its members are engaged in international platforms such as the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). These engagements aim to share best practices on community-based Indigenous climate resilience strategies, influence policy at multiple levels and ensure that Indigenous perspectives are included in global climate governance discussions.

Paine Eulalia Mako is a Maasai Indigenous woman and the current Executive Director of the Ujamaa Community Resource Team. She has worked with them for over ten years serving in different capacities.

Cover photo: The Hadzabe community is on the frontline of climate change. Photo: Ujamaa Community Resource Team

Tags: Indigenous Debates

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