Survey and Inventory of Amani Botanical Garden

Survey and Inventory of Amani Botanical Garden - Detailed information

Some of the major findings of the survey were that several institutions have claims on the ABG. Ministry of Agriculture, Mlingano at Sigi, the Tanzania Forestry Research Institute (TAFORI) on the slopes and the National Institute for Medical Research - Amani Research Centre on the higher ridges. The plantations generally occupy the crests and slopes of series of narrow ridges with a general direction of slope to the East and South East. Their altitudinal range is from 450 m (1,300 feet) at Sigi to 1,050 m (3,700 feet) at Bomole. The area is surrounded by sub-montane rain forest - Dense (SD) and Low land forest - Dense (LD), with very rich in species, many of which are endemic.

The survey also revealed that not all the ABG area was gazetted. The only two portions of ABG which were fully gazetted were:

Amani West Forest Reserve

Government Notice 196
Hectares 145
Acres 358
Square Miles 0.559
Date of gazetting 03.06.1955
Published Map for the area, Jb. No. 217 of scale 1:5,000 dated 25.09.1954.

Amani East Forest Reserve

Government Notice 111

Hectares 99

Acres 244

Square Miles 0.381

Date of gazetting 25.03.1955

Published Map for the area, Jb. No. 216 of scale 1:5,000 dated 25.09.1954.

The remaining parts were left outside legal protection, and are now occupied by NIMR-ARC. As a result of this human activities have affected some of the ABG plantations seriously. At the same time to the south the ABG indigenous forest was encroached and disturbed by the Kwamshinde and Migombani villages (see attached Map 2).

A great deal of the plantations and plants recorded by Greenway and Honess have been lost, particularly in the non-gazetted areas. A more detailed description of the status of the blocks and compartments are presented below:

Blocks and compartments within Amani West Forest Reserve

Block Compartments Area, ha

Bomole Block B1, B2, B3, B4 14.0

Forest House Block F 1, F2 0.7

Sub-montane rain forest (dense) 74.0

Low land rain forest (dense) 14.0

Total 102.7

Blocks and compartments which within Amani East Forest Reserve

Block Compartments Area, ha

Kiumba Juu Block KJ8, KJ10, KJ 9, and KJ 11 3.0

Kiumba Chini Block KC1, KC2, KC3 and KC4 9.2

Ilsenstein Block I5 and I7 2.0

Coconut Slope Block C1, C2, C3 and C4 21.0

Sigi Juu Block SJ1, SJ2, SJ3, SJ4, SJ5, SJ6, SJ7, SJ8, SJ9, SJ10, SJ11, SJ12, SJ13, SJ14, SJ15 10.9

Sigi Chini Block SC1,SC2,SC3, SC4, SC5, SC6, SC7, SC8, SC9, SC10, SC11, SC12, SC13, SC14, SC15, SC16, SC17 23.3

Drachenberg East Block DE 7 (only 1 ha) 5.2

Lowland rain forest (dense) 2.0

Palm plot 0.4

Musa textile plot 1.0

Precipitous wooded slope 0.3

Total 78.3

The remaining blocks and compartments fall within the non-gazzetted area, which is occupied by NIMR - ARC. New buildings and other human activities has destroyed the majority of the plantations. This area has consequently suffered many changes since Greenway and Honess surveys. The plantation area is now covered by grazing livestock, vegetable gardens, new farms and new buildings which have been built in this area.

Block Plantations Area, ha

Amani Plantations A1 - A4 2.6

Amani Chini Plantations AC1 - AC5 7.0

Boma Hill Plantations BH1 - BH8 2.0

Dodwe Plantations D1 - D2 1.2

Drachenberg East Plantations DE1 - DE7 9.7

Drachenberg West Plantations DW1 - DW7 4.4

Drachenberg Nursery Plantations DN1 - DN11 8.0

Kiumba Juu Plantations KJ1 - KJ4, KJ6 - KJ7, KJ12 7.1

Laboratory Plantations L1 - L17 2.6

Maiskopf or Lion Hill Plantations ML1 - ML3 3.0

Maiskopf-Kiumba Valley Plantations MK1 - MK7 8.4

Monga Road Plantations M1 - M5 3.1

Total 51.1

Much of the plots around the Laboratory Block, have been lost as a result of additional buildings. Actually very few trees remained from the original plantings. The most seriously affected Blocks are:

3. Amani Block

4. Laboratory Block

5. Monga Road Block

6. Boma Hill Block

7. Amani Chini Block

9. Maiskopf or Lion Hill Block

10. Drachenberg West Block

11. Drachenberg Nursery Block

11. Maiskopf main road Block

12. Maiskopf - Kiumba Valley Block

13. Drachenberg East Block

Completely vanished compartments

Block Compartments Area, ha

Laboratory Block L2, L3, L4, L5, L6, L7, L13, L16 1.0

Within the NIMR - ARC area, just between compartments No. DN4, DN10 and DN11, a new Roman Catholic church has been built. Around it is a newly established small farm (shamba) with a total area of 1 ha. This area is located to the north and extended along and beside the Dodwe river (see attached Map 2). Further more, drastic encroachment penetrate from the south, just beside Sigi river from the new villages - Migombani and Kwamshinde and the NIMR-ARC residential buildings at Amani Chini (Bondeni). This also includes the police station. A total area of 28 ha has been encroached.

Also, affected by the Ministry of Agricultural Mlingano Research at Sigi, following blocks and compartments were disturbed:

[ Contents ]


		The Bugwood Network - The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Warnell School of Forest Resources Copyright 2004. All rights reserved. Page last modified: Wednesday, August 8, 2001 Questions and/or comments to: bugwood@arches.uga.edu