WWF teams up with Faith-based Organizations to restore forest landscapes in the Ruvuma

The RLS is one of WWF Tanzania’s priority landscapes as it hosts the largest swath of the eastern Miombo ecoregion. A true ‘living landscape’, the Ruvuma bridges vast protected areas between Mozambique and Tanzania, connecting the largest populations of lion and wild dogs. The landscape is also globally important for elephants and boasts lush woodlands that maintain biodiversity of plant and animal species. Not only do these woodlands serve to mitigate climate change, they also play an integral role to the livelihoods of local communities in the areas, providing resources such as timber, non-timber forest products, and clean water. 

Despite their immense value, the forests of the RLS face a multitude of threats that jeopardize their delicate balance and long-term survival. These include deforestation and illegal logging, driven by both local and global demands for timber and agricultural land. Expansion of agriculture, particularly through slash-and-burn techniques, encroaches upon these forests, leading to habitat loss and fragmentation. Additionally, climate change poses a growing threat, as rising temperatures and altered rainfall patterns can disrupt the delicate ecological equilibrium within these ecosystems. 

WWF Tanzania is therefore partnering with religious leaders, Interfaith Standing committee members and District governments in the RLS to implement a innovative pilot of faith-based restoration that will serve as a model for other Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) projects in Tanzania and the 9-country WWF FLR In Africa Initiative to scale up restoration to 13.5 million ha of degraded landscapes by 2027 as our contribution to AFR100.

“The project will collaborate with faith-based organizations to streamline FLR efforts as FBOs own vast lands and have significant influence and trust within local communities, which are key stakeholders in forest conservation efforts” -Forest programme officer, James Wumbura, explained during the workshop.

Faith-based groups can leverage their moral authority to raise awareness about the importance of preserving these forests, promoting environmental stewardship as part of their religious teachings. They can also engage their congregations in regular reforestation and conservation initiatives, harnessing the collective power of their followers to plant trees and protect existing woodlands. Moreover, faith-based organizations often have extensive networks and resources, which can be mobilized to support sustainable development projects, capacity-building efforts, and advocacy for policies that prioritize forest restoration and conservation. 

This flagship FLR in partnership with FBOs project will aim to support WWF’s commitment to aiding the Tanzanian government in restoring 2.6 million hectares of forest landscape, contributing to the national commitment to restore 5.2 million hectares by unlocking significant areas of faith-owned lands for restoration.  

The project will work to restore connectivity between protected areas and ensure the health of the Ruvuma and Rufiji River basins/catchments through capacity-building based on WWF’s new faith tree growing guide launched at COP15, and by engaging with faiths in novel partnerships with the private sector, government agencies and NGOs.