How characteristics of wetlands resource users and associated institutions influence the sustainable management of wetlands in Tanzania

• Variations in the socio-economic characteristics of common pool resource users affect collective action responsibility in wetland management.
• Management options which do not consider socio-economic variations among wetland users are likely to fail.
• Awareness amongst the users highly contributes to common understanding in managing CPRs.
• Common understanding guarantees successful management of CPRs such as wetlands.

Natural resources management has been an issue of global concern due to the ongoing deterioration in the stock of natural resources worldwide. This problem has often been linked to the rules governing the management of these resources. The current study was conducted in Kilombero wetlands, a Ramsar site in Tanzania, to determine whether variations in knowledge of the rules and regulations governing management of wetlands amongst the resource users can explain the current degradation of the wetlands. The results show the existence of such variations. Awareness of environmental problems and participation in conservation projects were found to have a positive influence on the knowledge of rules and regulations. The study therefore, recommends an immediate and meaningful harmonization of the framework of various institutions, which together with environmental education would result in a common understanding of the constitutional rules amongst the primary and secondary wetland resource users. Such an arrangement would lead to participatory and sustainable wetland management.