Frontier Tanzania Environmental Research REPORT 110 ...

Kazimzumbwi Forest Reserve
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION TO COASTAL FORESTS
‘Eastern African Coastal Forests’ (hereafter called Coastal Forests) are synonymous with the Swahili
regional centre of endemism and the Swahili/Maputaland regional transition zone (sensu Clarke 2000).
The forests cover an area of 3167km 2 within six countries located between 1 0 North and 25 0 South and
34-41 0 East (Burgess, Clarke & Rodgers 1998). Much of the confusion and debate surrounding their
geographical distribution, their biological affinities and the main vegetation formation type to which
they belong has been clarified by Clarke (2000).
1.1.1 LOCATION AND EXTENT
The Swahili regional centre of endemism and the Swahili/Maputaland regional transition zone are
derived from the Zanzibar-Inhambane regional mosaic phytochoria. This vegetation block is
recognised as a distinct area of plant endemism. and is found along the coastal strip of eastern tropical
Africa (between the equator and Limpopo River), about 200-300km inland of the Indian Ocean
(Figure 1). Approximately 35% of larger woody plants are endemic to the area (Clarke 2000). In
recognition of botanical collections and taxonomic studies that confirmed a high number of endemic
plant species in the north of the region however, Clarke (1998) redefined the phytochoria. He enlarged
its area and divided it into the ‘Swahilian regional centre of endemsim’ (to the north of Mocambique
town) and the ‘Swahilian/Maptuland regional transition zone’ (to the south). The term ‘Swahilian
region sensu lato’ encompasses both of these divisions and it is this region with which Coastal Forests
are synonymous.
Frontier-TanzaniaCoastal Forest Research Programme