Resolutions of Mama Misitu Campaign National Dialogue with the Members of the Budget Committee

RESOLUTIONS OF MAMA MISITU CAMPAIGN NATIONAL DIALOGUE WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE BUDGET COMMITTEE OF THE PARLIAMENTARY OF UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA

24th April 2016, Dodoma-Tanzania

Attendees

-  Member of the parliament – Budget committee members of the parliament

-  CSO representatives (Tanzania Natural Resources Forum-TNRF, Mama Misitu Campaign-MMC, Mpingo Conservation and development Initiative-MCDI, Tanzania Forest Conservation Group - TFCG, Mtandao wa Jamii wa Usimamizi Misitu Tanzania – MJUMITA, Policy Forum)

Recommendations on utilizing forest opportunities:

1.  The MPs advised that more of their colleagues should be educated about the state of forests, as well as the benefits and challenges of sustainable forestry to increase collective understanding and advise policy decisions.

“In order to bring change in the policies and various governmental processes, it is important to build the capacity of parliamentarians to develop their own views on the challenges which need to be, – Hon. Mgimwa.”

Recommendations:

-  Civil Society Organizations should educate MPs further individually and in relevant committees to build their ability to understand the relevant sectors

-  Improve communication of information through summaries and visuals that can contribute to the dialogue in Parliament on improving forest governance

-  Highlight public perceptions of challenges and opportunities in the sector, as part of training and informing stakeholders

-  Identify MPs who are positioned to receive information and figures on the forestry sector to contribute to the debate in Parliament

-  Contracts for timber products should source from sustainably harvested forests

2.  The MPs also called for increased investment in the forest sector in order to decrease negative trends, including unsustainable logging.

Recommendations:

-  Tanzanians should be educated on the value of forests, including beekeeping

-  The government should invest in and help distribute beehives

-  Education on sustainable charcoal production should be made more widely available

3.  Finally, the MPs asked that research findings on forests and charcoal be brought to the villages to inform citizens taking action

-  Citizens should be educated on planting trees based on local environmental conditions

-  Tree planting campaigns should be started in deforested regions, including plantations

-  Opportunities for sustainable charcoal production should be made available in particular to youth and women in areas with widespread illegal logging