Abstract
Informal politics exercises a significant influence on formal decision making arrangements although its interplay with formal arrangements has conventionally been ignored. This study investigates how informal politics affects the operationalisation of a formally sanctioned initiative in the sphere of environmental governance. Nyachilo village, situated in the East Uluguru Mountains, was the site of the fieldwork of this study. The establishment of participatory environmental management in this village, through village environmental management committees, aimed at bringing a balance between the twin objectives of environmental conservation and development. However, the two-year experience in the implementation of this community-based environmental management approach has brought to the fore informal politics-induced influences, which seem to disorient the focus of the conservation effort. The paper asserts that a critical analysis of informal politics is imperative because what at the surface may appear to be homogenous communities are actually heterogeneous entities interlinked through informal alliances constructed on diverse interests, purposes, and preferences.
Recommended Citation
mahonge, christopher
(2012)
"The Role of Informal Politics in Environmental Governance In East Uluguru Mountains in Tanzania,"
Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences: Vol. 1
:
No.
1
, Article 2.
Available at: https://doi.org/vlm1.6
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