Wednesday, December 14, 2016

High value timber species in Tanzania’s coastal forests will be exhausted in 30 years

High value timber species in Tanzania’s coastal forests will be exhausted in 30 years, according to research by Tanzanian and UK scientists.
Tanzanian officials and NGOs met on 13th December 2016, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to discuss the findings of Saving Forests, Changing Lives, a project aimed at surveying the extent of charcoal and timber driven degradation in coastal forests. The project, led by WWF Tanzania, the Tanzanian Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and University of East Anglia, compared data from 2005 to assess the spread of charcoal and timber producing zones in Pwani and Lindi Regions.
The study also found carbon storage has dropped by 40% in Pwani Region. Forest loss and degradation in the tropics is one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions.
Speaking at the meeting, Dr Antje Ahrends, Head of Genetics and Conservation at the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh, said ‘Our over-riding aim is to quantify and predict the extent and spread of logging and to empower policy makers and local communities with knowledge resources to safe-guard forests and improve livelihoods’.
Isaac Malugu, WWF Forest Programme Coordinator, said “coastal forests are among one of the priority eco-regions in Tanzania and globally. WWF Tanzania has prioritized coastal forests as many of the diverse species are subjected to serious degradation and deforestation. The current deforestation rate of about 372,000Ha is high.”
Funded by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, the project conducted livelihoods surveys to learn more about the role of charcoal production for income generation, and launched an animated film in more than 75 coastal forest schools to raise awareness of the value of forests and the importance of community engagement amongst the next generation.
Dr William Kindeketa, Biodiversity Researcher at COSTECH, called for more action. ‘We need to adapt new approaches to halt the high deforestation rates in Tanzania, otherwise we may lose many of our forests.
About the coastal forests
Tanzania’s coastal forests are a hotspot for global biodiversity and home to over 700 endemic and near-endemic plant and animal species. Covering one third of the country, the forests also provide vital livelihoods for many rural communities.  Despite Tanzania’s forestry regulations, threats from charcoal production and timber logging result in the loss of an estimated 300,000 hectares of the country’s forest every year.

Notes:
1.       The project is funded by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery: https://www.postcodelottery.co.uk/good-causes
2.       The project is led by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in collaboration with WWF Tanzania, the Tanzanian Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), University of East Anglia, United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), TRAFFIC, and Tanzanian Forest Conservation Group (TFCG).
3.       All media inquiries should be directed to Joan Itanisa, WWF Tanzania (jitanisa@wwftz.org) and Shauna Hay, RBGE Press Office (S.Hay@rbge.ac.uk)
4.       More information can be found at www.tanzanianforests.com and Twitter: @TanzaniaForest

5.       High value timber species include: Pterocarpus angolensis, Mninga; Milicia excelsa, Mvule; Khaya antotheca, African mahogany; and Brachylaena huillensis, Muhuhu.

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