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

Eastern Arc Mountains Forests of Tanzania
Executive Summary
State Party: United Republic of Tanzania
State, Province or Region Kilimanjaro, Tanga, Dodoma, Morogoro and Iringa Regions
Name of Property Eastern Arc Mountains Forests of Tanzania
Geographical coordinates to the 37.0º E, 3.5º S northern limit
nearest second
36.5º E, 9.5º S southern limit
Textual description of the A series of nine of the most important sites within the Eastern Arc Mountains
boundary(ies) of the nominated ecoregion, in the eastern part of Tanzania extending from Mwanga District
property
(Kilimanjaro) in the north to Mufindi District (Iringa) in the south
A4 (or "letter") size map of the Included overleaf
nominated property, showing
boundaries and buffer zone (if
present)
Justification
The Eastern Arc Mountains, encompassing an area of some 23,000 km
Statement of Outstanding
Universal Value
2 ,
are part of the Eastern Afromontane hotspot, one of 34 of the world’s
richest places for biodiversity that are under continuing extreme threat of
loss of their original vegetation. This arc of mountains is geologically
ancient, dating back at least 30 million years and possibly 100 million
years, and individual blocks are isolated from each other, with the result
that they have played an important role as refugia for plants and animals,
and as centres of speciation over the millennia.
The Eastern Arc Mountains and Forests of Tanzania property proposed
for inscription on the World Heritage List is a series of 9 protected areas
within 6 of the 13 blocks that comprise the Eastern Arc Mountains, as
follows:
Serial site Mountain Block
Amani Nature Reserve East Usambara
Nilo Nature Reserve East Usambara
Mkingu Proposed Nature Reserve Nguru
Chome Proposed Nature Reserve South Pare
Kilombero Nature Reserve Udzungwa
Udzungwa Mountains National Park Udzungwa
Uzungwa Scarp Proposed Nature Udzungwa
Uluguru Reserve Nature Reserve Uluguru
Magamba Proposed Nature Reserve West Usambara
These 9 sites encompass a total area of 451,365 ha, which represents
approximately 20% of the Eastern Arc Mountains and includes at least
50% of the remaining 3,500 km 2 of forest. The sites have been selected
for inclusion in the nomination as being, on the basis of current
knowledge, universally outstanding examples of evolutionary and
biogeographical processes, as well as having a wealth of species of
plants and animals (vertebrates) that are endemic to the Eastern Arc
Mountains and in numerous cases endemic to an individual site within the
serial property.
Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism 5