Abstract

Conservation theories of change are often predicated on community-based wildlife management bringing positive developments. However, current thinking in political ecology and postcolonial intersectionality predicts adverse impacts of such interventions on marginalised people, including many rural women. This first large-scale, rigorous causal evaluation studies impacts of Tanzania’s wildlife management areas (WMAs) on married women’s livelihoods and wellbeing (937 wives in 42 villages across six WMAs and matched controls; three Northern and three Southern Tanzania sites). Married women perceive community infrastructure benefits associated with WMAs, but have limited participation, and experience major costs through resource use restrictions and fear of wildlife attacks. Poorer wives are often worse affected.