Views and preferences for compensation under REDD+ in Tanzania: Kilosa pilot project case study

Since 2008, Tanzania has been working to create a national REDD+ strategy. Nine REDD pilot projects have been put in place in different areas of the country, with the main aim being to gain experience and learn more about what constitutes good practice for REDD+, in order to influence Tanzania’s national REDD strategy (URT 2013). In 2012, a report describing the experiences and lessons of (equitable) benefit-sharing from these pilot projects was published (Campese 2012).

This is one of the pilot projects for the Poverty and sustainable development impacts of REDD architecture: options for equity growth and the environment project, and is being carried out by the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG) in collaboration with the Tanzania Community Forest Network (Mtandao wa Jamii wa Usimamizi wa Misitu Tanzania, or MJUMITA) in Kilosa (and Lindi)~districts (TFCG and MJUMITA 2009).

One of the project aims is to look at pro-poor REDD architecture. As such, the Kilosa pilot site is now the focus for exploring local people’s perceptions of different payment formats, their views on benefit sharing, and their understanding of terms such as sustainability. This will contribute to the discussion around costs and benefits of REDD+ activities and especially on how to design a pro-poor payment system in Tanzania. The information presented in this report was gathered by carrying out a series of focus group discussions (FGDs) in four selected REDD pilot villages in Kilosa District in December 2012. The information gathered in the FGDs also fed into a choice experiment on the~same topics. The choice experiment was conducted at a later stage and the results are presented in a separate report.