Project Update: Conserving High Biodiversity Forests in the Udzungwa Mountains

13 Jul

Written By International Tree Foundation

We are delighted to have recently received a positive mid-term report from our in-country partner, the Tanzania Forest Conservation Group (TFCG), that’s working on a project that aims to conserve high-biodiversity forests in the Udzungwa Mountains.

Hunting, logging, fuelwood collection and fire threaten the Udzungwa Mountain forests. There is an urgent need for communities to participate in reserve management and to have alternative supplies of timber and fuelwood.

The project aims to facilitate cooperation between the communities surrounding the Uzungwa Scarp Nature Reserve and the Nature Reserve Management.

This will be achieved primarily through a tree-planting initiative that gives local communities a sustainable, managed source of wood fuel and other forest products, thus easing pressure on the surrounding forest.

As well as supplying tree seedlings to local villagers, the project provides training and education so that it will have a lasting legacy beyond its initial funded phase.

Through introductory meetings, the project has assessed whether or not Village Natural Resources committees (VNRCs) are in place in the various villages and has identified training needs. Through dialogue with the Nature Reserves Office, the project has now agreed on an appropriate training programme for the VNRCs. Equipment has been purchased, including including 285 kg polythene tubes, 50 sieves, 50 rakes, 48 watering cans, 55 spades for tree nurseries.

This project has so far established twenty seven nurseries in four villages, sixteen of which are in schools and nine belong to farmers. The tree species that have been sowed so far include Teak (9879 sowed) and Khaya Anthotheca (11,515 sowed). Tree seedling distribution has been planned to accompany training in June and July 2012.

This is an exciting project (the first ITF project in Tanzania) and we will be following it’s progress closely as the project moves ahead. To keep up to date with the latest ITF project news you can sign up to our newsletter.