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Eastern Arc Mountains Forests of Tanzania The statistics also suggest that the Eastern Arc Mountains have a higher number of threatened species (animals) than many of the other World Heritage properties compared in Table 5, many of which are known to be endemic to these Mountains. However, it is acknowledged that data are unavailable or not comprehensive for quite a number of properties, including plants in the case of the Eastern Arc Mountains. African comparisons Plant endemism in tropical Africa (excluding the Cape) peaks in upland mountain ranges, where the Eastern Arc has almost as many endemic plant species compared with the entire Albertine Rift, which is about 5 times larger and has a greater altitudinal range (Table 7). Eastern Arc vertebrate endemism compares favourably with the Albertine Rift (and Cameroon Highlands) and, in the case of reptiles, is higher than the Albertine Rift. Table 7: Comparison of endemic species richness in African mountain forests (sorted by area of region) Ecosystem Broad area (ha) Vascular plant endemics Mammal endemics Bird endemics Reptile endemics Amphibian endemics Data sources Albertine Rift 10,390,000 567 34 51 21 39 (3) (8) Cameroon Highlands Eastern Arc Mountains 3,800,000 >50 14 24 12 26 (9) (3) 2,370,000 554 15 37 39 31 (6) (3) Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain and a World Heritage, is located in Tanzania close to the Eastern Arc Mountains. It is relatively recent in geological origin (less than 2 million years) and its forests are not known to possess any strictly endemic species of vertebrates or plants. The only endemic species located on Kilimanjaro are in the montane heathlands and moorlands at high altitude, and these are all recently evolved from species that have managed to colonise through long distance aerial dispersal, for example giant lobelia, giant senecio and various insects. In comparison, the Eastern Arc Mountains are vastly richer in terms of narrowly endemic species of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants, and their forests have a very much longer history stretching back almost certainly 30 if not 100 million years. 3.d Integrity The 9 sites comprising the serial nomination proposed for the Eastern Arc Mountains Forests of Tanzania World Heritage property contain the full range of altitudinal variation in habitats and biomes associated with this ecosystem, ranging from lowland forest to submontane, montane and upper montane forest, as well as high altitudinal grassland, wetlands and bogs. Drier and ecologically unique montane woodlands are present on the lee slopes of Udzungwa Mountains, and there are important assemblages of xerophytic plants, including endemic species, growing on exposed rocky outcrops. The series of sites encompass at least 50 % of the remaining natural habitat in the Eastern Arc Mountains (precise data are not available). The more remote sites are true wilderness, with large mammals such as elephant, buffalo and lion still found living at high altitudes where there are no visible human impacts. Five of the 6 largest remaining patches of protected habitat in the Eastern Arc Mountains are included in the serial nomination, each of the 5 exceeding 23,000 ha and the rest ranging from approximately 6,000 ha to 14,000 ha (see Annex 3). The two largest sites in the series are contiguous (Udzungwa National Park and Kilombero Nature Reserve) and plans are underway to link Kilombero Nature Reserve with the nearby proposed Uzungwa Scarp via Mngeta Corridor to provide a contigous area in excess of 366,000 ha within the Udzungwa Mountain Block. This would amount to 16% of the total area of the Eastern Arc Mountains. There are also plans to link the two smallest nature reserves, Amani and Nilo, via the Derema Corridor to create a contigous unit of at least 14,600 ha. Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism 80
Eastern Arc Mountains Forests of Tanzania The 9 sites are intact and have no people living inside their boundaries. They are managed by the Forestry and Beekeeping Division, and Tanzania National Parks under the auspices of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. In the case of Amani Nature Reserve there are two long-established enclaves where progressive cooperation with the owners of a tea estate has resulted in some privately-owned natural forest being handed back to FBD. Peripheral to the boundaries of these 9 core areas and, indeed, all natural forests within the Eastern Arc Mountains, however, are numerous settlements and extensive areas of cultivation, providing little or no short-term opportunity for establishing adjacent buffer zones. While there is effectively only 4,000 ha of de facto buffer zone (national Forest Reserves) peripheral to the core areas, as summarised in Section 1.f, local authority and village Forest Reserves cover an estimated 7,924 ha in the vicinity of the 9 serial sites. These forests meet some of the livelihood needs of village communities and, thereby, play an important role in reducing pressures on the forests protected for biodiversity and watershed conservation purposes. Good progress is also being made in encouraging village communities to establish buffer strips outside and contiguous with the boundary of nature reserve. Much more extensive is the network of national Forest Reserves within each mountain block, amounting to some 126,873 ha, which provide ‘stepping stones’, ‘corridors’ and refuges to plants and animals, all of which contributes to the maintenance and exchange of genetic diversity. Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism 81
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