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Projects
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Project Summaries Tanzania Forest Conservation Group
EASTERN ARC FORESTS West Usambara Forest Conservation Project (Korogwe and Lushoto Districts) Profile (.pdf) TFCG’s support for participatory forest management in Korogwe District began at the forest of Ambangulu. This is one of the last remaining areas of submontane forest in the West Usambaras. The forest extends over 1600 ha on land belonging to the villages, land under long term leasehold to a private company and a government managed Catchment Forest Reserve. The forest was being heavily logged for camphor when TFCG first intervened. TFCG succeeded in bringing together the key stakeholders and provided technical assistance in establishing a process of joint forest management and writing a management plan. The Joint Forest Management committee for Ambangulu are now managing the forest according to the management plan. Illegal timber harvesting in Ambangulu has now stopped.
TFCG have now extended conservation support to a further 500 ha of forests involving another 25 villages also in Korogwe District.
Over the last year TFCG has begun to provide support to villagers living adjacent to the Mazumbai Forest. Mazumbai is owned by the Sokoine University of Agriculture and has been the subject of considerable biodiversity research. Adjacent to the University’s land there is an area of forest on land previously owned by the Mazumbai Tea Estate. The land is now owned by a group of former workers, the Sagara Group. Since the collapse of the tea estate members of the group have been clearing the forest. In part this is due to a lack of clear leadership and planning processes. The Sagara Group who own the forest have requested support from TFCG to develop a strategy to protect the remaining forest. Conservation of this forest will significantly help to improve the sustainability of conservation initiatives in Mazumbai as well as conserving the Sagara forest itself.
East Usambara Forest Conservation Project (Muheza District) Profile (.pdf) Since 1993 TFCG have been providing environmental education and support for tree planting in the lowland East Usambara Mountains of Muheza District. The project has assisted villagers to plant over one million trees as an alternative source of firewood for villagers and as a source of cash income. TFCG have also assisted three villages to establish village forest reserves to protect forest fragments on village land. These remaining forest fragments are critical to the long term sustainability of forest dependent species in the East Usambaras as they provide a corridor between the forests within government reserves otherwise isolated by agricultural land.
South Udzungwa: Mufindi Forest Conservation Project (Mufindi District) Profile (.pdf) Since 1995 TFCG have been providing support to forest conservation in the Southern Udzungwa Mountains in Mufindi District. The focus for support in Mufindi has been on participatory forest management for six forests covering 620 ha and working with six villages.
In addition TFCG have been reforesting a corridor of land that connects two forests. The intervening forest was cleared during the 1970s for agricultural land. Through enrichment planting and fire protection forest species are beginning to return to the area including black and white colobus monkeys.
PEMA: South Nguru Mountains (Mvomero District) Profile (.pdf) TFCG are currently developing a programme in collaboration with CARE-Denmark and WWF-Denmark to promote participatory forest management in the South Nguru Mountains which are part of the Eastern Arc. During a recent visit to the mountains it was evident that there was a high level of destruction of these forests which have over 40 endemic species.
Proposed Rubeho Forest Conservation Project (Mpwapwa and Kilosa Districts) Profile (.pdf) The Rubehos are one of the least known mountain ranges within the Eastern Arc. Recent surveys by TFCG and the University of Copenhagen have recorded at least 16 Eastern Arc endemic species not previously known from the area and several unidentified birds have been discovered which may be new to science. One of the forests Mang’alisa is being rapidly cleared and TFCG are urgently seeking funds to halt the destruction of this forest. The area is an important bird area and Mang’alisa has a population of the threatened Usambara Eagle Owl.
COASTAL FORESTS Ngaramia Riverine Forest Conservation Project (Temeke Municipality) Profile (.pdf) Since 2000 TFCG has received support M.A. Dobie to promote the conservation of an area of riverine forest close to Dar es Salaam. The project has worked with two villages to prepare a management plan and train the Village Environmental Committees who will take responsibility for management.
Misitu Yetu Project: Pande Game Reserve (Kinondoni Municipality) Profile (.pdf) Pande Game Reserve is an area of coastal forest to the north of Dar es Salaam. The forest has come under intense pressure as a source of fuel wood and other resources for the city. TFCG has been working with adjacent communities to empower them to work with the government to halt the destruction of the forest.
Misitu Yetu Project: Ruvu South Forest Reserve (Kibaha and Kisarawe Districts) Profile (.pdf) The Ruvu South Forest Reserve is the most extensive area of forest that TFCG is working with. The reserve covers 35,000 ha and is managed by the Forestry and Beekeeping Division (FBD). FBD has agreed to allow TFCG to promote joint management for the reserve which is under extremely heavy pressure as a source of charcoal for the neighbouring city of Dar es Salaam. TFCG have now built up the capacity of the village environmental committees surrounding the reserve who have begun the process or writing management plans and deciding joint management areas. |
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