Governance

Our governance training and coaching focus on driving behavioral change, not just establishing systems.

Effective governance is essential for ensuring transparency and fairness in Wildlife Management Areas.

By strengthening leadership, decision-making, and accountability, communities can openly manage resources and revenues, ensuring that benefits are shared equitably among all members. Transparent systems reduce conflicts, build trust, and demonstrate to both local stakeholders and external partners that the WMA is well-managed. This not only empowers communities but also creates a stable foundation for sustainable development and long-term conservation success.

Our governance work equips leaders of these social enterprises

With the skills, knowledge, and confidence to turn their vision for managing natural resources into practical actions that improve community livelihoods. By strengthening leadership, financial oversight, and decision-making capacity, we ensure that communities can sustainably manage their resources, generate economic benefits, and build resilient, self-reliant conservation enterprises.

Accountable

Accountable to their members and community.

Capable

Capable of managing land, resources and finances

Transparent

Open and transparent in how information is shared.

Participatory

Participatory and inclusive in decision-making.

From Assessment to Action: Building Governance in Cycles

Our governance work starts with a baseline SAGE assessment to identify strengths and gaps. We then deliver core and targeted governance training through the Governance Capacity Building Framework, building leaders’ skills in oversight, accountability, finance, and HR. Ongoing follow-up—Governance in Action—tracks behaviour change and ensures governance improvements translate into better decisions and stronger WMAs.

Our work on governance begins with a baseline assessment using a tool called SAGE, carried out during the first year of engagement. Based on the results, we introduce our Governance Capacity Building Framework, starting with core governance training for all WMA community leaders. We then provide more targeted technical trainings that strengthen leaders’ ability to support management, hold teams accountable, and confidently engage in areas such as finance and human resources. A critical part of our approach is ongoing follow-up, known as Governance in Action: we track whether the training is changing leaders’ behavior, whether that behaviour is improving decision-making, and ultimately whether the WMA is progressing toward stronger, more effective governance.

GOVERNANCE-APPROACH-TO-WMA MORE ABOUT SAGE MORE ABOUT GCBF MORE ABOUT GIA

We work toward this vision by combining practical tools, data, and hands-on support with WMA leaders, village governments, community members, and national partners.

SAGE Guiding WMAs Toward Success

Honeyguide uses the SAGE tool to help communities assess governance and equity in their WMAs. By bringing stakeholders together, it identifies gaps, informs targeted training, and strengthens management.

SAGE- (Site-level Assessment of Governance and Equity)

Honeyguide utilises the SAGE tool and approach. This is a simple, low-cost tool developed by IIED and its partners to help people involved in protected and conserved areas assess how well these areas are governed and how equitable they are. Using a questionnaire based on IUCN principles, SAGE brings different stakeholders together to discuss what is working, what is not, and what can be improved. This shared process helps strengthen governance, promote equity, and achieve better social and environmental outcomes, while supporting global goals such as the CBD’s 30x30 target.

The results of the SAGE process help Honeyguide teams and WMA leaders clearly understand where gaps exist and where improvement is needed. These insights are then used to design targeted training and growth programmes, enabling leaders to respond directly to the findings and strengthen how the WMA is managed. In addition, SAGE outcomes inform the design of the  BEST (Business Enterprise Sustainability Tool), a key part of Honeyguide’s long-term vision to support professional, well-run WMAs that deliver positive impact and real benefits for communities and all stakeholders.

GCBF Strengthening WMA Leadership for Lasting Impact

Honeyguide works directly with WMA leaders to strengthen how decisions are made, money is managed, and communities are represented. Through the Governance Capacity Building Framework (GCBF), we deliver hands-on training, mentoring, and follow-up that turns governance principles into daily practice—supporting leaders to run their WMAs transparently, accountably, and in the best interests of their communities and wildlife.

Governance Capacity Building Framework (GCBF)

The Governance Capacity Building Framework (GCBF) is Honeyguide’s core approach to building strong, effective governance in Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). Grounded in over a decade of experience working alongside community institutions, the GCBF provides a clear, structured pathway for strengthening accountable, transparent, and inclusive leadership that enables WMAs to function as viable, community-led conservation enterprises.

Co-developed with community leaders, the GCBF equips WMA boards and leaders with the practical skills needed to oversee conservation, manage revenues, and make informed decisions. Built on 12 principles of good governance and anchored in a sustainability model that balances economic, social, and ecological outcomes, the framework combines core governance training with targeted technical modules. A strong emphasis on mindset shifts and behaviour change helps professionalise leadership, improve transparency, and build the confidence required to engage effectively with investors, government, and partners.

The GCBF establishes a shared standard for governance capacity development across Honeyguide and its partner WMAs. Its vision is strong, inclusive community governance systems that uphold equity, transparency, and local leadership. Through training, coaching, and ongoing mentoring, the framework strengthens leadership, coordination, and decision-making while fostering financial accountability and ethical resource management.

Implementation of the GCBF is coordinated through Honeyguide’s Governance and Communications Programme and delivered by Honeyguide staff, consultants, and certified trainers. The framework is embedded through continuous learning, follow-up, and periodic review, ensuring it remains practical, relevant, and responsive to real governance challenges on the ground. WMAs also use the GCBF as a reference point and self-assessment tool to track progress and guide institutional renewal.

As a living framework, the GCBF continues to evolve alongside changing governance and conservation contexts. By embedding it across all governance work, Honeyguide ensures continuity, institutional memory, and quality assurance, reinforcing its leadership in advancing equitable, community-led conservation across Tanzania.

The Framework structure is designed around two main components: Core Modules and Customized Modules.

The Core Modules establish the fundamental pillars of governance. These essential areas include Governance and Leadership principles, a focus on Legal and Policy Frameworks, stringent guidelines for Financial Management and Accountability, and standards for Human Resource Oversight and Ethics.

The Customized Modules allow for flexible, targeted training based on specific organizational needs. These supplementary areas cover specialized topics such as Conflict Management and Resolution, fostering Gender and Social Inclusion, enhancing Communication and Stakeholder Engagement, and practical methods for Monitoring Governance Performance.

Improving information sharing and participation

Many governance challenges stem from information gaps. Honeyguide supports WMAs to design systems that reach community members, NGOs and investors, government bodies, and governing body members.

The goal is that no one is surprised by decisions that affect their land, rights, or livelihoods.

Governance in Action (GIA): Assessing and strengthening governance

Honeyguide has developed the Governance in Action (GIA) Assessment Toolkit. GIA helps WMA leaders turn governance principles into action. By combining audits of systems and documents with community feedback, it shows where leadership, accountability, and inclusion can improve. Honeyguide uses GIA to track performance, guide decisions, and embed good governance into daily operations—helping WMAs become transparent, professional, and investment-ready while delivering real benefits for communities and wildlife.

GIA assesses governance across five dimensions: Accountability, Capacity, Participation and Consensus, Openness and Transparency, and Sustainability.

The assessment brings together multiple perspectives from community members, WMA governing bodies, management teams, field officers, and external stakeholders.

The GIA combines two approaches: 

Audit-based indicators

Such as governance documents, financial systems, AGMs, and benefit-sharing agreements

Perception-based indicators

Capturing experiences of fairness, inclusion, and trust inclusion, and trust inclusion, and trust

Each WMA receives dashboards and scorecards showing strengths, gaps, risks, and priority actions. GIA is a continuous learning system used over time by WMAs, partners, and government.

Governance in Action (GIA): Assessing and Strengthening WMA Leadership

Honeyguide has developed the Governance in Action (GIA) Assessment Toolkit to strengthen governance in Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and other community-based natural resource management systems in Tanzania. GIA is designed to translate abstract principles of good governance into practical, measurable actions, giving local leaders clear insights into how their institutions are performing and where improvements are needed.

GIA assesses governance across five dimensions: Accountability, Capacity, Participation and Consensus, Openness and Transparency, and Sustainability. It brings together multiple perspectives—from community members, WMA governing bodies, management teams, field officers, and external stakeholders—to provide a comprehensive view of governance in action.

The toolkit combines audit-based indicators, such as governance documents, financial systems, AGMs, and benefit-sharing agreements, with perception-based indicators that capture experiences of fairness, inclusion, and trust. This dual approach ensures that GIA reflects both formal structures and lived experiences, highlighting gaps in leadership, accountability, and inclusivity.

At its core, GIA is a tailored Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) system. It allows WMAs to track performance in real time, integrate good governance into daily operations, and benchmark progress against international standards. For example, in 2024, five WMAs used GIA to identify gaps and achieved 50% progress toward global best practices, with Waga WMA demonstrating how the framework can drive institutional renewal and performance tracking.

GIA’s design also links governance performance to practical decision-making. Honeyguide builds dashboards that combine GIA scores with financial, benefit-sharing, and ecological data. This integration helps WMA leaders see how decisions affect their communities and natural resources across the landscape, supporting transparency, efficiency, and accountability.

By using GIA, WMA leaders can make informed decisions, strengthen stakeholder trust, and position their areas as professional, investment-ready social enterprises. Strong governance, backed by reliable data and inclusive leadership, is essential for attracting long-term financing, securing political support, and ensuring that community conservation delivers real social, economic, and ecological benefits.

GIA Dimensions

Q&A

Governance involves setting the organization’s strategy, providing oversight, and ensuring accountability to the board and stakeholders. Management is the day-to-day execution, implementing the policies and plans set by governance to achieve organizational objectives.

In order to simplify the program and to focus on the critical principles for governance of natural resources, we decided to hone in on 5 key principles.