Leading the Change - Civil Society, Rights and Environment:WWF Tanzania <b>Problem and context description</b>
	  <p>The Greater-Ruvuma Landscape is an extensive part of Eastern and South-Eastern Tanzania and Northern Mozambique, encompassing the famous Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania, Niassa National Reserve in Mozambique and two terrestrial eco-regions:  Southern Zanzibar-Inhambane Coastal Forest and Eastern Miombo woodland and savannah.  It also covers part of Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa (RUMAKI) Seascape in Tanzania and Mtwara-Quirimbas Seascape (Tanzania and Mozambique). The proposed program will mainly focus on the Tanzanian side of the landscape, namely the Selous-Ruvuma landscape.
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	  <p>Natural resources in the landscape are increasingly subjected to severe pressures such as unsustainable land-based investments, population growth and increasing market demand for natural resource based products. The advent of global climate change has also resulted in unpredictable climatic conditions undermining livelihoods and biodiversity. These growing pressures threaten the sustainability of biodiversity beyond the capacity of existing conservation programmes.</p>
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	  <p>Challenges to conserving the ecological integrity of the Selous-Ruvuma landscape are further compounded by the capacity of stakeholders. Despite of the efforts of WWF Tanzania (with support by donors such as SIDA) to support sustainable land and resource management, local communities, CSOs and CBOs are still faced with inadequate capacity to fully manage natural resources and ensure that benefits are accrued to the rights holders. There is still low awareness of community rights, land and resource ownership, and also inadequate representation of women and youth in resource management and decision-making. Limited business knowledge and inadequate revenue sharing mechanisms exist. As a result, communities often lack power to receive benefits or develop alternative livelihoods.</p>
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	  <p>In this context, CSOs play an important role in driving change at the community level. Nevertheless, most of them encounter several challenges related to human resources, leadership and funding. The existing financial resources for CSOs working in natural resources sector are declining due to shift in thematic scope of potential donors. These organisations need more support to implement their long-term visions that support biodiversity and livelihood development in the landscape.</p>
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	  <b>Programme goals</b>
	  <p>The program’s desired change is that by 2022, people in the Selous-Ruvuma Landscape are effectively controlling decisions and receiving full benefits from natural resources and exercise their rights for ensuring that the ecological integrity is sustainably managed and use of sustainable, clean and affordable renewable energy is increased’.</p>
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	  <b>Programme activities</b>
	  <p>The proposed programme will devise and implement interventions that will support the economic and development values of natural resources, and promote use of clean and renewable energy technologies to meet energy demands sustainably. The focus will be to increase wildlife numbers, fish stocks, influence policy and improve forests through effective participation of dependent population. The programme will support and partner with CSOs; support mechanisms to incentivize the private sector to engage fairly with local communities; strengthen local communities to secure tenure and livelihood benefits from resources. Mechanisms that will balance competing interests across different target stakeholders (local and national government, private sector, local communities) will also be created. Learning and research institutions will be involved in generating evidence based information in order to facilitate improved learning and sharing while building capacity of civil society, and particularly youth on related NRM aspects. Results from research will also inform advocacy work. Sustainable energy services and technologies will be introduced in the landscape to complement existing efforts around CBNRM and also improve targeted natural resources.</p>
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