New Publication

Eastern Arc Mountains Monograph

The Journal of East African Natural History is one of the oldest scientific publications in Africa. The first issue appeared way back in 1910. Currently it is published jointly by the East Africa Natural History Society, and the National Museums of Kenya, with assistance from the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Belgium). The Journal publishes papers and notes in the field of natural history and ethnobiology, relevant to the eastern African region. Of particular interest are contributions that add to the body of knowledge of the status and conservation of biological diversity in the region.

The most recently published volume of the Journal is a special issue with the proceedings of a Conference on the Biodiversity and Conservation of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and Kenya, held at Morogoro, Tanzania in December 1997. Papers from the conference were selected and edited by Guest Editors in collaboration with the JEANH Editorial Committee. The contributions, many of them illustrated, include working group reports, overviews of the conservation status of the mountains and their global importance, and papers on a multitude of research projects, as well as social and management issues in the area.

The Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and Kenya are one of the world's 25 global biodiversity hot spots. A series of ancient crystalline mountain blocks, they harbour luxuriant rainforests nourished by moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean. Forests have existed continuously in these mountains since Africa was part of Gondwanaland, over 20 million years ago. They are not only valuable for their biodiversity, but they also serve as catchment areas supplying fresh water to over 200,000 people. The pleasant climate enhances the value of the area as a tourist destination.

The mountains have been famous for their natural richness since colonial times. The German colonial authorities established research stations in the Usambaras and the biological, and agri- and silvicultural activities continued with little interruption through the shift from the German to the British reign. When Tanzania and Kenya gained independence much of the land management infrastructure remained, albeit somewhat ineffective due to lack of money and educated staff. As a result, uncontrolled land use increased.

Internationally funded development co-operation projects dealing with land use were initiated in the Eastern Arc Mountains, mostly having the goal of economic profitability. Some were responsible for even greater destruction of natural ecosystems than the haphazard encroachment by subsistence farmers. One of the most infamous was the Finnish funded forestry project in the 1980s in East Usambara. The most recently criticised project in the area is the Norwegian-Swedish funded Kihansi Hydropower plant, which threatens the existence of unique animals and plants in the Udzungwa Mountains.

Conservation projects were also evident in the Eastern Arc Mountains, such as, the Udzungwa National Park, established some years ago. Sokoine University of Agriculture and Forestry carries out research in the Mazumbai Forest Reserve. The Amani Nature Reserve in the East Usambaras was established recently, supported by the Government of Finland, which has turned from logging in 1980s to conservation in 1990s. Conservation needs, however, are still far from satisfied. Population pressure continues to increase and local governments lack the means of preventing environmental degradation. In order to tackle the situation, a group of scientists, conservationists, and decision-makers gathered at the conference in Morogoro in an attempt at reconciling the future needs of all stakeholders in the Eastern Arc. The conference was organised by the Tanzania Forest Research Institute, Sokoine University of Agriculture and Forestry and the University of Dar es Salaam, with support from the Governments of Finland, Denmark and Norway.

The Eastern Arc Issue of the JEANHS is an important collection of the scientific evidence of the biological uniqueness of these rainforest blocks. The computer data-base analyses on African fauna carried out by Prof. Jon Fjeldså and his co-workers clearly show that the Eastern Arc Mountains harbour the greatest number of biological taxa and the highest degree of endemism in mainland Africa. Dr. Jon Lovett explores the plant life of the Eastern Arc and concludes that the mountains clearly are an area where relict lineages remain, and new ones are born, hence both the great diversity and remarkable endemism.

The contributions cover a multitude of interests in the resources of the Eastern Arc Mountains: extraction of timber; the need for arable land; the collection of fuel wood, building material, medicines, and food; securing ecosystem services; ecotourism; and the various, often complex social interactions to be taken into consideration when planning conservation and utilisation of natural resources. Tanzania's VicePresident, Mr. Omar Ali Juma, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ms. Zakia Meghji and the Director of the Division of Forestry and Beekeeping, Prof. S. Iddi have written their own chapters for the volume.

Included in this work is a list of guidelines for future activities in the Eastern Arc Mountains and acknowledgements of the gaps in knowledge at present, as well as suggestions on how to proceed in order to fill them. Dr. Jon Lovett, for instance, proposes that the Eastern Arc Mountains (together with the coastal forests of East Africa) should be given the status of World Heritage Area by UNESCO.

N.D. Burgess, M. Nummelin, J. Feldså, K.M. Howell, K. Lukumbuzya, L.Mhando, P. Phillipson, & E. Vanden Berghe (Eds.) (2000)

Biodiversity and Conservation of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and Kenya. Journal of East African Natural History 87: 1/2, (1998), 367 pp.
ISSN 0012-8317, ISBN 9966-9861-9-7

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