East Usambara Catchment Forest Project - Work Plan 1999/2000

Appendix 2: Research Studies and Collaborators to EUCF

During Phase III, the Project will conduct research relevant for forest conservation and their management. The Project will not perform research activities itself, but will work in collaboration with research institutions, individual researchers and interested Non-Governmental Organisations inside and outside the country.

The Project will be responsible to disseminate information on priority research topics to identified collaborators who might be interested to perform research activities within the Project area. On-going monitoring activities e.g. climatological study will continue in collaboration with meteorological staff. Hydrological stations will be re-habilitated under hydro-staff supervision and data collection resumed. These activities will be handed over to relevant institutions i.e. water and meteorology Departments before end of 2002.

The identified research collaborators include TAFORI, Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), UDSM, Mlingano National Soil Service, the International Institute for Aero-space Survey and Earth Sciences (ITC) in the Netherlands, Kew Royal Botanic Garden and other individual researchers and NGOs.

In this Phase the Project will support research studies in two ways. First, key research studies will be contracted to consultants, e.g. biodiversity surveys and assessment of the economic values of all natural resources in the East Usambara forests.

Second, the Project will encourage researchers to carry out research studies on other priority topics. The identified research topics include permanent sample plots (growth and yield studies), dynamics of natural forest gap regeneration, control and management of invasive exotic species, impact of catchment forests on hydrological potentials i.e. water quantity and quality (sedimentation analysis, industrial pollution, etc), soil surveys in forest reserves and socio-economic studies on forest resource utilisation e.g. medicinal plants.

The Project will provide logistical support to researchers undertaking priority research indicated in the second category. The support may include use of computers, e-mail facilities, occasional transport assistance and accommodation of foreign researchers at ANR guest houses at resident rates

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