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This paper examines the effects of tenure on tree management at a communitylevel. First, several important conceptual issues arising from this particular meso-levelfocus are discussed. Second, a description of the key tenure and tree management issuesin Uganda and Malawi is presented. In each case, data representing changes in land useand tree cover between the 1960–70s and 1990s are analyzed. In both countries, there hasbeen significant conversion of land from woodlands to agriculture. Tree cover has beenmore or less maintained over time in Uganda but has decreased in Malawi. Lastly, thepaper explores the relationships between tenure and tree management using econometrictechniques. Tenure is found to be linked to land-use and tree-cover change in bothcountries, though it is not necessarily the most important factor (e.g., population pressureis the key driving force for land-use change). In Uganda, conversion of land was morerapid under the customary tenure system and tree cover on nonagricultural land bettermaintained under the mailo system. In Malawi there was more rapid land-use conversionand tree cover depletion where there were more changes to traditional tenure systemstaking place.
