Usambara (Tanzania)

Help to maintain the biodiversity of a beautiful region of Tanzania!

The project at a glance

• Number of trees to be planted: 1 million
• Species planted: tulip nile, avocado, silky oak, moringa, coniferous, pine, neem, peach
• Planting date: January to December 2020

Presentation of the organization responsible for the project

The cultural tourism company Friends of Usambara (FoU-CTE) is an affiliate of the Friends of Usambara Society (FoU), registered on 22 May 1997 as a non-governmental organization. The general objective of FoU-CTE and the Society of Friends of Usambara (FoU) is to develop, promote and exploit tourism through walking tours in the Usambara Mountains. FoU aims to plant 15,000,000 trees by 2020!

Background information

The Usambara Mountains in northeastern Tanzania are mainly in Lushoto District, but a smaller area also exists in Korogwe District. The region is densely populated with more than 215 villages and nearly 20,000 inhabitants. Most of the land outside government reserves and small forest parcels are in fact most often converted to agricultural land.

The Usambara Mountains have a high biodiversity value, host 5 strictly endemic vertebrates and 19 other species found only in the East. There are also 27 endemic trees found in the eastern part. This rich biodiversity is also expressed in invertebrates as well as in shrubs and grasses. A wealth that is still very little known and that must be protected.

Project activities

These mountains are therefore a hotspot of biodiversity that must be preserved. The tree-planting project to reforest land in the African forest of Mount Usambara is an excellent way to achieve this imperative. The soil of the Magamba Nature Reserve is suffering from unprecedented ecosystem degradation and the disappearance of endemic species. The need for building materials, fuel, illegal mining and other products derived from trees are the main causes of deforestation. This phenomenon is amplified by rapid population growth. The aim of this project is to improve tree planting in the Magamba Nature Reserve and around adjacent villages, ensuring sufficient availability of trees in and around the reserve. Tree planting has the potential to stop the current trend of environmental degradation.

Reforestation of land where trees have been cut down helps to maintain topsoil and prevent erosion, help conserve the local water source and mitigate the effects of climate change. But also to maintain and extend the habitat of the rainforest to preserve biodiversity. Carry out awareness-raising activities aimed at reducing dependence on forest resources.

Project completion period

The project, which is to be renewed over several years, lasts 12 months. With twice 2 months of nursery planting during the two dry periods (January/February and September/October) and planting phases over the rest of 2020.