Tanzania is a “mega-diversity” nation due to its high species diversity and variety of habitats (MNRT, 2001). Forest biodiversity is categorized into six ecological zones, namely: moist forest mosaic in the Lake Victoria Basin; coastal forests and thickets; montane forests in the Eastern Arc Mountains; Acacia-Savannah grasslands; Acacia-Commiphora thornbush, and Brachystegia-Julbernadia woodlands, popularly known as “Miombo” (MNRT, 2001). The country contains over 10,000 plant species; hundreds are nationally endemic, 305 are threatened, and 276 species are endangered, according to the IUCN Red List (IUCN 2013).
The forests of
the Eastern Arc Mountains are among the oldest and most biologically diverse in the
world (www.tfcg.org). They are part of Conservation International’s
biodiversity hotspots and are one of WWF’s Global 200 priority ecoregions.
These mountains contain at least 800 endemic plant species, 10 endemic mammals,
19 endemic birds, 31 endemic reptiles, and 40 endemic amphibians. The IUCN
identified 78 vertebrate species as threatened in the Eastern Arc, including 8
critically endangered species. Twenty out of 21 species of African violet found
in the Eastern Arc are endemic (www.tfcg.org).
According to the
National Biodiversity and Action Plan 2015-2020 (VPO 2015), forty percent of Tanzania’s area is protected. A large network of protected areas has been
designated with four: Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro, and Nyerere
(previously: Selous), inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites (VPO, 2015).
There’s a lack of data on the current biodiversity status; however, indicators
suggest a substantial reduction in ecosystem quality, species numbers and
diversity. The decline is linked to habitat loss, degradation, and climate
change impacts (VPO, 2015). Tanzania ranks 15th globally for the number of
threatened species, with at least 900 threatened species having been recorded (IUCN,
2013). Several timber species appear in the current IUCN Red List[1].
For example, the common timber species Pterocarpus angolensis (Mninga)
is in the Least Concern category, while Dalbergia melanoxylon (Mpingo) is
in the category Near Threatened.
In the 2019 State
of the Environment report (VPO 2019), biodiversity loss is recognized as a
significant environmental problem in addition to other problems, such as land
degradation, deforestation and forest degradation, waste management, and water
quality. Human activities, such as shifting cultivation, overgrazing,
deforestation, rapid population growth, and inadequate land use management, are
listed as prime causes of land degradation. Poverty, population growth, and
economic growth are mentioned as main drivers of deforestation and forest
degradation. Energy demand, unsustainable farming practices, climate change,
wildfires, forest land tenure, and overgrazing and nomadic pastoral practices
are recognized as significant pressure factors. Unsustainable agricultural
practices can also lead to uncontrolled/haphazard disposal of various types
of wastes, and these, in turn, can result in deterioration of water
quality. Degradation of the quality of water
due to various human activities poses a great risk to both the health of the
population and all economic sectors.
According to the
National Environmental Master Plan for Strategic Interventions (VPO, 2022), Tanzania’s economy is largely dependent on natural resources, including forests,
water, marine and freshwater bodies, wetlands, wildlife, land, natural gas, and
minerals. However, unsustainable utilization driven by over-dependence on
natural resources has increased pressure on these resources, resulting in
environmental degradation. This affects a range of ecosystems that subsequently
results in an economic loss of at least five percent (5%) of the national Gross
Domestic Product (GDP).
A 2014 analysis
of land degradation for Tanzania revealed that the extent of land degradation
has increased from 42% in 1980 to 50% in 2012. Further analysis was based on
2018 data and showed that the level of land degradation has increased to 80%
(whereby 46% is moderate and 34% is highly degraded). The highly degraded areas
are found in Tabora, Dodoma, Singida, Shinyanga, Lindi, Pwani Simiyu, Manyara,
Arusha, and Ruvuma Regions, while the moderately degraded areas include Iringa,
Songwe, Katavi, Mara, Mwanza, Tanga and Morogoro. Regarding deforestation and
forest degradation, the analysis shows that currently, mainland Tanzania’s
annual deforestation rate is estimated to be about 469,420 ha per year, with
highest deforestation rates found in Western Zone (2,222, 561 ha); followed by
Southern Zone (1,053,784 ha); Central Zone (1,031, 316 ha); and the Southern
Highlands (1,030,732 ha) (VPO, 2022).
Despite
Government initiatives put in place, including good national policies and
legislation, environmental challenges persist. One of the factors exacerbating
this situation is limited spatial information on environmental degradation and
its appropriate intervention options, resulting in the formulation of
interventions that are generic, inappropriate to specific areas, and duplication
and misallocation of limited resources at the local and national levels. In 2022, the
Government of Tanzania developed the National Environmental Master Plan for
Strategic Interventions (NEMPSI). The overall objective of the NEMPSI is to
guide strategic and coordinated environmental interventions at all levels,
based on the spatial variation of environmental challenges and intervention
options.
No comments:
Post a Comment