The efforts in sustainable natural resource management have given rise to

decentralization of forest governance in the developing world with hopes for better

solutions and effective implementation. In this paper, we examine how spatially

sensitive participation is realized from policy to practice in the process of establishing

participatory forest management in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Our policypractice analysis

shows that the policies in Zanzibar strongly support decentralization and local level

participation has in practice been realized. However, the policy does not emphasize

participatory process design nor address the possibilities of using spatial information

and technologies to ensure wider participation. Thus, the practices fall short in

innovativeness of using site-sensitive information with available technologies.

Reflecting the Zanzibari Community Forest Management Agreements (CoFMA)

context with examples of participatory use of spatial information and technologies in

other parts of the world, we discuss ways to improve the Zanzibari CoFMA process

towards increased participation, communication, local sense of ownership and more

sustainable land management decisions, and argue for the future implementation of

CoFMA as a spatially sensitive participatory process.