Improving wellbeing by integrating health and conservation: findings from cross-sectional surveys

Abstract

Background: Since 2011, Pathfinder International, The Nature Conservancy, and local government authorities in western Tanzania have partnered on the Tuungane project to support communities facing multiple challenges not solved by a single sector, including poor access to health services such as maternal health and family planning, as well as a declining natural resource base. Tuungane uses a population, health, and environment approach that hypothesises that by integrating health and conservation activities, it can achieve greater overall benefits to both people and nature than single-sector projects. We investigated whether integrating health and conservation services and information leads to greater understanding of the links between people's health and the environment, resulting in more behaviours that improve health and increase sustainable natural resource management. Methods: Using data from cross-sectional surveys done at the household level in western Tanzania, we assessed health and natural resource knowledge, attitudes, and practices, comparing baseline data collected in July, 2011, from 487 households (of 7700 households) with midterm data collected 5 years later in August, 2016, from 1010 households (of 9568 households). Data from a smaller assessment done in December, 2020, will be available later. Findings: Between the baseline survey and the midterm survey, we found improvements in indicators for health and conservation knowledge, attitudes, and practices, and overall wellbeing. For example, most common illnesses, such as typhoid, decreased. Familiarity with family planning increased from 45% to 59%. Women who wished they could have postponed a pregnancy decreased from 43% to 34%. Fishermen reported an increase from 8% to 33% in fish catch in the main target species compared with 5 years ago. In 2016, a majority of people agreed that the village forest should be protected (88%). The ability of people to meet daily needs increased from 6% to 20%. People used fewer loans to buy food and had more assets. Interpretation: The results from the surveys suggest that not only the health and natural resource use of local people improved from 2011 to 2016, but also their overall wellbeing. Funding: None.