The introduction of modern forestry in Tanzania during the German colonial period was accompanied by massive encroachments on the land use rights of local population groups. This led to unintended ecological and social conflicts. Epidemics and uprisings were the consequences, the control of which the German colonial power only partially managed, while economic success mostly failed to materialize. The struggle for tropical forest resources has shaped Tanzanian history to this day. Lars Kreye analyzes discourses and practices in the field of colonial forest conflicts and illuminates their significance with regard to tropical forest protection and global climate change up to the present day.