Bridging the Gap: linking timber trade with infrastructural ...

The majority of reserved forests and woodlands are managed by the central government (10.9 million ha)
with the remainder (1.9 million ha) managed by local government. The regulatory and institutional
framework of the forestry sector, including policies and legislation covering protected areas, trade and use
of forest resources is given in Annex 2. The largest areas of reserved forest occur in Rukwa, Tabora and
Morogoro Regions. The same regions have the greatest area of Forest Reserves managed by the central
government. Tabora, Shinyanga, Mbeya and Iringa have the largest areas of local government Forest
Reserves. Almost two-thirds (61%) of Tanzania’s woodlands and forests are unreserved, lacking proper
management (Table 4). Lindi Region has the largest area of unreserved woodland/forest in the country,
totaling around 3.75 million ha.
In Tanzania, Brachystegia - Julbernardia savanna
woodland covers almost two-thirds of the forested land
(Mgoo et al., 2000). A detailed description of miombo
woodlands is given in Annex 3. The floral diversity in
the miombo woodlands of Tanzania is estimated at
around 8500 species (Anon., 2000a; Anon., 1999i).
These woodlands are equally rich in fauna and provide
habitats for rare large mammals, including
approximately half the remaining Black Rhino Diceros
bicornis in the country (including all of the subspecies
D.b. minor), 92% of African Elephant Loxodonta
Miombo woodland, Lindi District.
africana, populations of Wild Dog Lycaon pictus, Hartebeest Alcelaphus buselaphus, Sable Hippotragus
niger and Roan Antelope H. equinus (Barnes et al., 1999). In the Selous Game Reserve alone, the largest
protected area in Africa (45 000 km 2 ) and home to the largest elephant population in the world, at least
440 species of bird, 2045 species of vascular plant and a rich herpetofauna have been recorded (Vollesen,
1980). Other parts of the miombo woodlands in Tanzania are equally unique. Rukwa Valley
encompasses one of the last remaining montane Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes populations in the Mahale
Mountains, the Kilombero Valley holds around 75% of the remaining global population of Puku Kobus
vardoni, whilst several large mammal herbivores rely on migratory routes in South Ruvuma connecting
Tanzania and Mozambique (East, 1998; Anon., 1999h).
For these reasons, almost half (96,000 km2) of miombo woodlands in Tanzania has been set aside as
some form of wildlife protected area (Mgoo et al., 2000). These include world-renowned protected areas
and heritage sites such as the Selous Game Reserve, Ruaha, Udzungwa and
Mahale Mountains National Parks. These conservation areas have pioneered
numerous forms of wildlife management including non-consumptive tourism,
sustainable utilization programmes and community-based natural resource
management.
Coastal forests cover a coastal belt approximately 50-200 km wide, except where
they penetrate further inland along broad river valleys (Figure 4). Coastal forests
and thickets occur as isolated and fragmented patches (in some cases as small as 2
km 2 ) limited to hilltops and offshore islands and total around 800 km 2 . Coastal
forests, together with the Eastern Arc Mountains 7 , are globally recognised for their
Credit: Simon Milledge/TRAFFIC East/
Southern Africa
Rare and endemic East
Coast Akalat.
Credit: IUCN/O. Hamerlynck
7 The Eastern Arc Mountains are characterized as a separate ecosystem from coastal forests, their relatively long
period of environmental stability and isolation has led to extremely high levels of biodiversity and endemism.
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