Agriculture - Forestry 2

Amani Nature Reserve is located 55 km west of the coastal city of Tanga by road and 25 km from Muheza town. It is in Muheza and Korogwe districts in the mountain block of East Usambara between latitudes 5º 04’ 30" – 5º 14’ 10" S and longitudes 38º 30’ 34" - 38º 40’ 06" E with an area of 8,380ha. On the average the altitude of ANR ranges from 300 – 1128 m a.s.l (URT, 2010). It was formed in 1997 by combining six forest reserves i.e. Kwamkoro, Kwamsambia, Mnyuzi scarp, Amani Zigi, Amani East, Amani West and the 1,065 ha of submontane forest that was donated by the East Usambara Tea Company under a Forest Dedication Covenant. Amani is the wettest of all the East Usambara forest blocks,with at least 100 mm rain falling in most months. Monthly rainfall peaks in excess of 300 mm in April-May and reaches about 150 mm in October-December. Mean annual humidity is 87 % in the morning and 77 % at midday. Mean annual temperature at Amani Conservation Centre (900 m) is 21o C, with mean daily minimum and maximum temperature of 16.3o C and 24.9o C, respectively. The hottest season is January-February and the coolest is July-September. The two main forest types are semi-deciduous forests in the lowlands, particularly Mnyuzi Scarp with its lower rainfall, and tall luxuriant submontane evergreen forests in the mountains above 750 m, where rainfall is higher and the largest trees reach 65 m in height. Other biotopes include dry bushland (2%), grassland, barren rocky area and water bodies (all < 1%). Dense submontane forest covers about half and dense lowland forest about one third of the Nature Reserve. Amani Botanical Gardens (340 ha) lie within the periphery of the Nature Reserve which was established in 1902, and it has over 1,000 species from around the world. This has contributed to some 6 % (520 ha) of former submontane forests having been invaded by exotic species, such as Maesopsis eminii, Cedrella odorata and palm trees. Common tree species include Cephalosphaera usambarensis, Allanblackia stuhlmannii, Albizia gummifera, Beilschmiedia kweo, Diospyros abyssinica, Englerodendron usambarense and Drypetes gerrardii. Epiphytic lichens and bryophytes are abundant especially in steep summits. According to census conducted in 2012, the population of Muheza and Korogwe districts are 202,038 and 492,441 respectivelly that make a total of 694479. The main economic activity of the people sorounding the reserve is agriculture (URT, 2013). Lyimo P, Munishi P, Bugingo A, Masaka K, Emily C, Paul C, Mtalikwa S (2018). Endemic plant species of Amani Nature Reserve in Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. Version 1.1. Sokoine University of Agriculture, Department of Ecosystems and Conservation. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/fj6180 accessed via GBIF.org