eastern arc mountains forests of tanzania - Campaign for the ...

Eastern Arc Mountains Forests of Tanzania
NGURU MOUNTAIN BLOCK
The Nguru Mountains are located in Morogoro Rural District in Morogoro Region. There is the main Nguru block
and a large isolated outlier at Kanga. These mountains range up to 2,400 m altitude in Nguru South. Villages
from nine wards surround the reserves. The total population in the immediate vicinity of the Nguru mountain is
over 61,250 people.
The forest vegetation is highly varied according to altitude. Lowland rain forest occurs between 300-900 m in
valleys of the eastern slopes, between 300 and 900 m altitude. Submontane forest covers a large area between
900 and 1,400 m in the eastern valleys with fragments on the western slopes at 1400-1,500 m. Montane forest
occurs between 1,400 and 1,800 m with moss covered upper montane forest at higher altitudes, and drier
montane forests on the western side above Maskati mission at 1,600-2,000 m. Heath occurs on the upper ridges
above 2,000 m, with some isolated stands as low as 1,200 m where soil conditions do not permit forest growth.
Biodiversity
In terms of biodiversity the Nguru Mountains have very high importance, much of this being discovered in the
past 5 years. Current knowledge indicates that there are 14 single block endemics (13 amphibians and 1 reptile)
and a further 44 Eastern Arc endemic vertebrate species. For vascular plants there are also 28 Eastern Arc
endemic species. Some of these species are not yet described (amphibians).
Threats
The challenges to the conservation of the forests in the Nguru mountains come from agricultural encroachment
and under planting of forest with cardamom and banana, pit sawing of timber and fires.
Core elements of the World Heritage property: Two Forest Reserves (Mkindu, Nguru South) are in the process of
being merged into the Mkingu Nature Reserve (26,334 ha), which will form the core element of the World
Heritage property in the area.
Buffer elements of the World Heritage property: There are a number of small reserves on the eastern flanks of
the Nguru Mountains that take some pressure from the proposed nature reserve: Milonge, Diwale, Mgalonga,
Mabunde-Mtwange Forest Reserves. These are managed by the local authority and cover less than 1,000 ha.
Other reserves in the Nguru Mountains. There are two other reserves in the Nguru range that contain montane
to lowland forest habitats: Kanga and Magotwe, with a total area of 7,373 ha.
Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism