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

Eastern Arc Mountains Forests of Tanzania
Inappropriate mining practices 1 8 8 17
Illegal grazing 4 4 5 13
Unsustainable hunting/poaching 6 5 4 15
Unsustainable collection for the
pet trade
3 1 3 7
Unsustainable
medicinal plants
collection of 5 3 2 10
Invasive species 2 2 1 5
Key to the overall ranking of threat
Very High
High
Medium
Low
Fire is a major challenge to the management of the Eastern Arc Mountain forests; fires often start on the lower slopes
of the mountains and spread up the slope and towards the forest. Fires are frequent in the dry season, and reach
their peak in the September / November period. In dry years the fire can enter the forest and destroy areas of pristine
natural forest habitat., Controlling fire and preventing it entering the natural forest is one of the major management
challenges for the Forestry and Beekeeping Division and Tanzania National Parks when managing their network of
reserves.
Human population densities in the Eastern Arc Mountains are high and there is heavy pressure for agricultural
land. Most unprotected forest has already been lost and encroachment also occurs into some reserves when
management capacity is inadequate. For example, when local people realised in the early 1990s that an area of
sub-montane forest in the northern Uluguru Mountains was not within the forest reserve, it was rapidly deforested
for banana plantations and subsistence agriculture.
The Eastern Arc Mountains contain commercially valuable timber species, such as Milicia excelsa, Khaya
anthotheca, Beilschmedia kweo, Ocotea usambarensis and Podocarpus spp. Many of these species have been
logged on these mountains for more than a century, and in some parts of the region large specimens are
commercially extinct. All timber harvesting from the Eastern Arc forests is illegal, as logging has been banned
since 1985, but it is difficult to eliminate entirely.
People living on the slopes of the Eastern Arc Mountains and in nearby towns make use of forest resources to
support their livelihoods. An important use of some forests is a source of firewood for cooking. Other uses
include hunting, gathering medicinal plants, and as a place for traditional ceremonies – including burials.
Finally, across different Eastern Arc mountain blocks there are variable degrees of artisanal mining for gold,
rubies, garnets and other semi-previous stones. During 2004/05 a gold rush has affected the East and West
Usambaras and the Nguu Mountains, but this has been stopped.
Exotic species are also a threat where they can invade natural forest. Lantana camara is found throughout the
Eastern Arc and prefers disturbed areas, mainly outside the of forest. In the East Usambara Mountains there is also
the invasive tree Maesopsis emeni, and there is Eucalyptus in the Pare Mountains.
Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism 83