**4.2 Community attachment to forest reserves in Pugu and Kazimzumbwi forest reserves**

The aspect of community attachment to the forest reserve were assessed through household survey via a number of questions as detailed in the following section (s).


#### **Table 1.**

*Selected characteristics of participants.*

*Community Attachment and Environmental Stewardship: A Peri-Urban Perspective DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99495*

**Figure 2.** *Extent of connection to the forest reserves (%; N = 150). Source: field work 2018.*

## *4.2.1 Extent of connection to the forest reserves*

**Figure 2** presents findings on the extent of community connection to the Pugu and Kazimzumbwi forest reserves. Generally; the extent of connection to the forest reserves are more or less similar between Nzasa and Kisarawe sub-wards. About a quarter (1/4) of respondents in these two sub-wards had shown relatively strong connection to the Pugu and Kazimzumbwi forest reserves. At the same time, Pugukibaoni sub-ward has outweighed the two sub-wards by having high percentage scores on less strong connection to the reserves. At Pugu-Kibaoni sub-ward, about half (1/2) of the respondents casted their scores on less-strong connection and a tenth (1/10) had their scores on no-connection at all to the forest reserves. The reason for Pugu-Kibaoni having considarable low level of connection to the reserves is due to the fact that the area is located near to the city as compared to the other two sub-wards. This being the case the livelihoods of the majority of its dwellers are not directly linked to the forest reserves as they engage mostly in trade and small business activities. This is backed up by the correlation analysis between the extent of connection to the forest reserves and the extent of one's life attachment to the forest reserves. This had a correlation score of 0.5 testifying that there is a considarable linkage between one's connection to the forest reserves and the connection of an individual's life to the forest reserves.

On the other hand the factors behind community attachment to the forest reserves were gathered during focus groug discussion (FGD) in all the three subwards. One of the autspoken reason for having strong connection to the Pugu and Kazimzumbwi forest reserve is the issue of livelihood connection with the forest reserves. During the FGDs it was underscored that a good proportion of the dwellers in areas at the vicinity of the forest reserves owes their living in the same. The activities in the forest reserves that derive a living to forest adjacent communities includes charcoal making and selling, timber business, fire wood fetching/cutting and selling, bee keeping and collecting other forest products such as medicene (herbs) and wild fruits. One participant in a FGD at Kisarawe had these to say …

*…I have been depending on the forest for earning a living for almost my entire life. This has made my life to be strongly connected to the forest reserves. This is the reason why I feel like I can not afford to live without these forest reserves. Nowardays there are some restrictions on how to access the reserves but I know how to find my way through the forest without ending up in the hands of those with authorities…*
