East Usambara

New fees (pdf) for Amani Nature Reserve.

Recently released action plan for Derema - download a copy:

Derema Resettlement Action Plan Derema Corridor (English version) (MS Word)

Derema Resettlement Action Plan Derema Corridor (Kiswahili version) (MS Word)

The East Usambara Mountains are almost entirely within Muheza District in Tanga region, apart from some smaller parts in the west that fall in Korogwe District. The mountains rise to an altitude of 1,506 m at Mt Nilo. The population is 101,767 people distributed across 61 villages in the areas. Outside of reserves most of the forest has been cleared for farmland, apart from in the Derema proposed Forest Reserve and some other areas proposed as Village Forest Reserves. Some forest also remains in private land – for example in the lowland Kwamtili estate.

(AMANI: Amani Nature Reserve in the East Usambara Mountain was the first nature reserve in Tanzania. With a range of accommodation available, trained guides and an information centre, it offers visitors the chance to see, feel and experience the tropical Eastern Arc Forests first-hand)

In Muheza District the East Usambaras contain 1 Nature Reserve (Amani), 11 Forest Reserves (Bamba, Kambai, Kwamgumi, Segoma, Semdoe, Mtai, Mlinga, Manga, Mlungui, Longuza Teak plantation), 1 proposed forest reserve (Derema), 4 Village Forest Reserves

(Kizee, Kizangata, Mfundia, Handei), and 2 private forests (Magoroto and Kwamtili). (image: Visitors information centre in Amani Nature Reserve)

The total area is around 31,000 ha. Parts of Nilo Forest Reserve and the Amani Nature Reserve also fall within Korogwe District, but the only East Usambara reserve that wholly falls within Korogwe is Bombo West with a total area of 3,523 ha.

The forests of the East Usambara Mountains range from lowland areas at c.300 m on the east side, through sub-montane forests to the montane forests of Nilo. Tree species composition of these forests varies considerably, but species such as Khaya anthotheca, Milicia excelsa are found in the lowlands and others such as Myrianthus holstii, Albizia gummifera, Allanblackia stuhlmannii and Newtonia buchananii dominate at higher altitudes

Biodiversity

The East Usambara forests are globally recognised for their exceptional biodiversity importance. The mountain forests contain at least 7 strict endemic vertebrates and a further 28 species that are confined to the Eastern Arc or East Usambara lowland forests. There are also 40 Eastern Arc endemic trees. Similar high rates of endemism are also seen in invertebrate animals and plants such as shrubs and herbs. The montane forests grade into lowland forests on the eastern margin of the mountain, and these lowland forests also have exceptional biological importance.

(images: top: Leptopelis barbouri, bottom: Leptopelis barbouri - calling)

Threats

The major threats to the forests in the East Usambaras are fire spreading from surrounding farmlands, logging, gold mining and farmland encroachment (especially into ungazetted forests). There is also a serious issue of invasive species, for example of the tree Maesopsis and various shrubs, herbs and lianas.

(image: The effect of gold mining on a river bed in the East Usambara Mountain Forests)

Downloads - East Usambara Mountains

• A study to investigate the factors affecting the distribution of Cola usambarensis, an endangered endemic tree species of the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania.Catharine Muir. 1998MSc Thesis.

• Transaction Costs of Community Based Forest Management : Empirical evidence from Tanzania. Charles Meshack. 2004MSc Thesis.

• Nsanjigwa K. et al 2012. Will habitat management along forest edges save the Long-billed Tailorbird in East Usambara Mountains?

• Amani PES Report.pdf
• audit EUFLR March 06.pdf
• Butterfly_E.Usambara.pdf
• CLIMATE_East Usambara.zip
• Derema Resettlement Action Plan English version.pdf
• Derema Ressetlment Action Plan Kiswahili version.pdf
• EU FLR Technical Progress Report-July-Dec06.pdf
• EU FLR_ReportFY06.pdf
• EUFLR_Tech-Report_July-Dec05.pdf
• Final Report_Revised_10_03_2007.pdf
• Fire_in_the_East_Usambara_Landscape_report 21.pdf
• Indigenous AB Final Report Jan 2005 - submitted.pdf
• Lates eddition - Novella Project-Concept note.pdf
• Mlingano_consultancy_WWF_Report1.doc
• TDIP_Environmental_Assessment_Final.pdf
• Technical_Report_3_Tanzania_National_Awareness_Workshop.pdf
• Usmabaralandscapepreliminaryresultsreport.pdf
• East_Usambara GIS Data.zip
•  TFCG East Usambara baseline monitoring report

• Trail Guides for Amani Nature Reserve.
  • Amani Driving Trails (Click here to down load PDF).
  • Botanical Garden Trail (Click here to down load PDF).
  • Derema Trail (Click here to down load PDF).
  • Kwamkoro Trail (Click here to down load PDF).
  • Mbomole Hill (Click here to down load PDF).
  • Monga Trail (Click here to down load PDF).
  • Sigi Spice Garden and Chemka Village Trail (Click here to down load PDF).
  • Sigi Trail (Click here to down load PDF).

East Usambara Conservation Area Management Programme publications:

EUCAMP Working Papers

• Working Paper 2. Sawe, C. et. al. 1995. Proceedings of a workshop planning the phase II of the East Usambara Catchment Forest Project. (Click here to download as PDF)
• Working Paper 3. Johansson, S. 1995. Proceedings of the EUCFP phase II project document review workshop. (Click here to download as PDF)
• Working Paper 4. Mmasi, S. et. al. 1995. Planning phase II of the East Usambara Catchment Forest Project Staff Workshop. (Click here to download as PDF)
• Working Paper 47. Oliver, S. et. al. 2002 Environmental Education Programme: Environmental Activities within local communities. (Click here to download as PDF)
• Working Paper 48. Oliver, S. et. al. 2002 Resource pack for Environmental Educators (English and Swahili). (Click here to download as PDF)

EUCAMP Technical Papers

Other EUCAMP documents

• Newmark, W. Ecological Monitoring: Its importance for the Conservation of Biological Diversity in the Eastern Arc Forests. Department of Zoology, The University of Dar es Salaam. (Click here to download PDF)
• EUCAMP 2002. Administrative Report 40. Completion Report of Phase 3 (1999 - 2002) (Click here to download PDF)
• Newmark, B. 1996. Proceeding of a workshop on Ecological Monitoring for Biodiversity in the East Usambara Mountains. (Click here to download PDF)

Tropical Biological Association Project Reports

Abstracts 1998-2005

• Amphibians (pdf)
• Birds (pdf)
• Herbivores (pdf)
• Invertebrates (pdf)
• Mammals (pdf)
• Management (pdf)
• Forest Ecology: invasive plants (pdf)
• Forest Ecology: other (pdf)
• Pollination (pdf)

Project Reports 2003

• About TBA and attendants for 2003 (pdf)
• Abundance and diversity of invertebrates in various habitats in Amani NR (pdf)
• Comparison of tea plantation and forest soils in Amani NR (pdf)
• Diversity and abundance of hyperolid frogs in Amani NR (pdf)
• Effect of cutting floodpalin vegetation in Amani NR (pdf)
• Fruit productivity of Maesopsis eminii in Amani NR (pdf)
• Habitat ecology of three beetle species in Amani NR (pdf)
• Herbivory and herbivore diversity on two Piper species in Amani NR (pdf)
• Impacts of human activities on the floodplain in Amani NR (pdf)
• Nesting behaviour of Eutermes sp in Amani NR (pdf)
• Reproduction of Ageratum conyzoides depending on light and flower colour in Amani NR (pdf)
• Tree size fruit density and light effects on Allanblackia Stuhlmannii in Amani NR (pdf)

Project Reports 2005

• Aspects of pollination biology of Lantana camara in Amani NR (pdf)
• Coleoptera diversity in different forest conditions in Amani NR (pdf)
• Differential tadpole response to predators in Amani NR (pdf)
• Diversity and abundance of anurans in Amani NR (pdf)
• Effects of shade on Lantana camara in Amani NR (pdf)
• Growth of Cephalospaera usambarensis seeds in Amani NR (pdf)
• Habitat preferences of juvenile frogs in Amani NR (pdf)
• Plant species variation between plantations and natural forest in Amani NR (pdf)
• Role of calling in social behaviour of silvery-cheeked hornbills in Amani NR (pdf)
• Seedling dynamics under Maesopsis trees in Amani NR (pdf)
• Small mammals as seed predators in Amani NR (pdf)
• Spatial and temporal variation of song in the Little Greenbul in Amani NR (pdf)

Links - East Usambara Mountains

• WWF has Forest Landscape Restoration project in the East Usambara Mountains, to visit their website click here.

• Amani Butterfly Project

• Kew Botanical Gardens

• Guide to the Amphibians of Usambaras - available as a PDF from: http://www.zoo.ufl.edu/voneshjr under "Natural History" then "Amani Amphibians" links.

• Nina Sengupta PhD. Thesis about using remote sensing for biodiversity conservation.

• Tanzania Forest Conservation Group has been working in the East Usambara Mountains for many years. Visit their website for more details.