Kambai Forest Reserve: A biodiversity survey. - Coastal Forests of ...

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Kambai Forest Reserve
Few people recognise that there are advantages of a forest reserve. Thus without active
conservation efforts, the exploitation of the forest would be devastating as the lack of
education concerning the importance of the forest is patently evident. Therefore, education
is essential. There are however a few people who have begun to plant trees as an
alternative resource acquisition practice and for marketing the surplus. These actions on a
greater scale may help reduce the pressure on the forest in future years. These actions at the
present time are limited and it is too early to establish the actual effects that they may have.
The forest reserve resources are used by the people of Kambai village. The resources, as
stated by the villagers, are building poles, ropes, medicine and meat. Timber, although not
stated as a forest product, is known to be removed from the reserve. Kweboha and
Msakazi sub villagers state that they do not rely on the reserve but obtain all their resource
needs from SHUWIMU land near to where they live and farm. Magati villages obtained
their forest products from Kwamgumi forest rather than Kambai as the former is closer to
where they live. Kambai village rather than Kweboha, Msakazi or Magati, thus appears to
require education and alternatives to using forest products in the conservation efforts related
to Kambai forest reserve.
East Usambara Catchment Forest Project Technical Paper 35