A diagnostic on social protection needs and opportunities for forest-dependent communities in the United Republic of Tanzania

Book excerpt: This study is aimed at gaining an understanding of the poverty and vulnerability situation of forest-dependent communities in the United Republic of Tanzania and generating information on the availability of social protection interventions, with a view to identifying pathways for establishing sustainable social protection for these communities. Social protection is taken to include “all initiatives, both formal and informal, that provide social assistance to extremely poor individuals and households; social services to groups who need special care or would otherwise be denied access to basic services; social insurance to protect people against the risks and consequences of livelihood shocks; and social equity to protect people against social risks such as discrimination and abuse” (Devereux and Sabates-Wheeler, 2008).