Eastern Arc Seedlings and Forest Regeneration
With the exception of tree species in high demand for timber, the early regeneration characteristics of most African forest trees remains poorly understood. Such knowledge of early forest regeneration is of paramount importance for conservation and restoration schemes in rapidly degrading tropical environments like the Eastern Arc Mountains.
The Eastern Arc Mountains are a series of mountains skirting the coastal region of Tanzania with a tiny extension into south-eastern Kenya. This mountain range is renowned for its biodiversity and high levels of endemism, and as a result, is often described as the "Galapagos Islands of Africa." Given extensive forest loss due to large-scale agricultural activities and smaller-scale subsistence farming in these areas in the not too distant past, approximately 50% of the original forest cover has been lost. The remaining forest is under intense pressure from humans, and the government of the United Republic of Tanzania, as well as several organizations, are working to enhance conservation of the biodiversity and water catchment values of the Eastern Arc Mountains.
We anticipate that our research and practical outputs will feed into these and other existing programs that attempt to resolve the apparent conflict of poverty and biodiversity conservation by making science, conservation, and rural communities an integral part of the solution.
LEARN MORE about the importance of forest regeneration, with the goal to disseminate information that.