Two decades of change in state, pressure and conservation responses in the coastal forest biodiversity hotspot of Tanzania
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Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
Abstract
We present an analysis of changes of state, pres-
sures and conservation responses over 20 years in the
Tanzanian portion of the Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa
biodiversity hotspot. Baseline data collected during 1989-1995 are compared with data from a synthesis of recently
published papers and reports and new field work carried
out across the region during 2010-2014. We show that bio-
diversity endemism values are largely unchanged, although
two new species (amphibian and mammal) have been
named and two extremely rare tree species have been relo-
cated. However, forest habitat continues to be lost and de-
graded, largely as a result of agricultural expansion,
charcoal production to supply cities with cooking fuel, log-
ging for timber and cutting of wood for firewood and build-
ing poles. Habitat loss is linked to an increase in the number
of species threatened over time. The government-managed
forest reserve network has expanded slightly but has low ef-
fectiveness. Three forest reserves have been upgraded to
National Parks and Nature Reserves, which have stricter
protection and more effective enforcement. There has also
been rapid development of village-owned forest reserves,
with more than 140 now existing; although usually small,
they are an important addition to the areas being managed
for sustainable resource use, and also provide tangible benefits to local people. Human-use pressures remain in-
tense in many areas, and combined with emerging pressures
from mining, gas and oil exploration, many endemic species
remain threatened with extinction.
Description
Keywords
Biodiversity, Coastal forest, Pressures, Tanzania, Conservation responses, Protected areas