Convergence or convenience? International conservation NGOs and development assistance in Tanzania

International conservation NGOs and development agencies have historically operated independently of one another. Recently, their agendas have converged to consider both environmental and human needs, with an emerging focus on private sector involvement in conservation. New funding from international finance institutions has become available for NGO initiatives, and today there is little difference between the environmental strategies of international development agencies and those of the major conservation NGOs operating in Tanzania. While this is due in part to independent shifts in both sectors, NGOs may also be serving to carry out and legitimate the neoliberal policies of development institutions. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.