| Summary: | Sustainable conservation of mangrove forests has been constrained by marginalising some key stakeholders in resource governance in Tanzania. The present study assessed the perceptions of local communities towards the state management of mangroves on the western Indian coast of Kinondoni and Bagamoyo. The mixed method design was used to collect data from 306 respondents from Kaole, Mlingotin, Pwani-Kunduchi, and Mtongani villages via household questionnaire surveys, interviews with key informants, focus group discussions, and documentary reviews. The overall mean score on a 5-point scale for respondents in both study sites was 3, indicating neutral perception. The perception of respondents towards state management of mangroves for ecological benefits was relatively higher (M = 3.92, SD = 0.18) than for socioeconomic context (M = 3.02, SD = 1.03), t (128) = 4.7, p < 0.01, d = 0.51) in Kinondoni. The same results were revealed in Bagamoyo as higher perception for ecological gain (M = 3.43, SD = 0.67) than for economic benefits (M = 2.63, SD = 0.86), t (133) = 5.3, p < 0.01, d = 0.63. Multiple regression models revealed that local community perceptions of state management of mangrove forests in both study areas can be explained by education level (β = 0.168, p = 0.012), knowledge of reserve rules (β = 0.187, p = 0.013), household distance from reserve boundary (β = 0.798, p = 0.003), and occupation (β = −0.162, p = 0.001). The study revealed that respondents were satisfied with the state’s management of mangroves for ecological gain, but they were not supportive of management when economic issues were discussed. The study recommends the state management of mangroves to become inclusive and recognize the neighboring communities’ entitlements; an adequate contribution of revenue from mangrove protection to local livelihood; and the provision of environmental education to communities on the potential of ecosystem services to increase their social acceptability.
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