Ambiguity and forest-based bioeconomy: The case of forest fires in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania

The forest-based bioeconomy plays an important role in the transition towards a bio-based economy, also offering solutions for mitigating global climate change. Tanzania has seen a swift expansion of commercial tree growing, especially in the Southern Highlands, since the early 2000s. The increasing demand for timber has attracted both resident inhabitants and small and medium-scale investors from elsewhere to exploit this new investment opportunity. The spread of highly fire-sensitive eucalyptus and pine plantations has radically altered the fire regime in the landscape. The underlying driving forces of forest fires are related to ambiguous and conflicting social processes in land management. We conducted field data collection in the Iringa and Njombe regions to study these uncertainties, mapping a wide array of interpretations related to small and medium-scale plantation forestry in general and to forest fires specifically. Our research methods incorporated individual interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs) and direct observations. The smallholder farmers, urban-based investors, large forest companies and other actors share a common interest in mitigating the impacts of destructive forest fires, yet ambiguity exists in how to manage these fires. This results in a scenario in which both interest in and resources for firefighting are limited. We encourage the co-creation of well-defined, transparent village fire management committees and village fire funds to ensure localised and efficient fire management.