Survey and Inventory of Amani Botanical Garden - Background

Amani Botanical Garden (ABG) was initially developed as the trial plantations of the "Biologisch Landwirtschaftlische Institut, Amani" established in 1902 by the Government of German East Africa (see attached Map I). It is located about 75 km from Tanga, and 35 km from Muheza. The major part of Amani Botanical Garden was formally located within Amani East and Amani West Forest Reserves and today included in the proposed Amani Nature Reserve. The main objective of establishment of the Amani Botanical Garden was to screen and introduce plant species of economic importance from Tanzania or other countries.

During the 1914-1918 war the resources of the Institute were used by the Germans for the local manufacture of medical and other supplies, and the available buildings were occupied as a refugee camp for German women.  British forces took over Amani in 1916.  After the war the Institute was absorbed into the Department of Agriculture until 1927, when the East African Agricultural Research station came into being as a separate organisation.  The heavy work of clearing the original forest and the planting of the majority of the permanent tree plantations was carried out by the Germans prior to the 1914 - 1918 war.

The first botanical survey of the Amani Plantations was then conducted by Dr. P.J. Greenway, Botanist at the station, from September 1928 until January 1933. Another survey was later repeated between 1961 to 1962 by Mr. B.L. Honess, formerly Agricultural Officer, Muheza. However, since then, the ABG boundaries have changed. The external boundaries have changed, plantation block and compartment boundaries and demarcations have been lost and encroachment has generally taken place.

Since one of the objectives of the East Usambara Catchment Forest Project is to work and rehabilitate the Amani Botanical Garden, it was necessary to do a new survey and re-establish the boundaries of plantation blocks and compartments. The purpose of the survey work was to produce an accurate and up-dated Amani Botanical Gardens Map, which defines the old boundaries, and the recent variations of both the external and internal boundary. The work was largely based on the original maps and inventory by Greenway.

The following steps would be to rehabilitate the ABG boundaries of all the big 19 plantation blocks with their compartments by slashing, reopening and permanent demarcation.  Moreover, a complete inventory to update the existing status of the blocks and compartments is required in order to be able to set priorities for the rehabilitation work.

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