Local Communities ́Capability to Freedom of Choice : A Case Study of Burunge Wildlife Management Area, Tanzania

Sammanfattning

Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) are established all around Tanzania, giving the incentive to local communities to preserve nature, and simultaneously promoting socio-economic development for the local communities. Having a capability approach, this paper is leveraging theories of justice in order to establish a perception of local communities freedom to improve their well-being in ways they see fit their wills. Through semi-structured interview, and literature review, I found the local communities' inclusion within the WMA is regarded as important as important infrastructure could thus be established, however, from perspectives of justice, local communities ́capability to freedom of choice are diminishing. This is demonstrated in the occurrence of wildlife damage on villages crops and livestock, and most notably the villages themself. The paper argues that there is a lack of recognition of the local communities from external stakeholders, hence affecting their capability to participate in decision-making. The development of the local communities are very much dependent on the interest of investors, and hence the need for government regulations of participatory processes are demonstrated.