An Introduction to the Conservation of the Eastern Arc Mountains

Abstract

It is 19 years ago, that I, as the organiser for the 4th East African Wildlife Symposium, which was hosted in Arusha by the University of Dar es Salaam, dared to add a section on forest biology and forest conservation. The conservation agenda then was concerned with issues of managing elephants and lions and other large hairy wildlife. Conservation then was about National Parks not Forest Reserves, it was about savannah grassland not forests, it was about elephants not camphor trees or African violets. Conservation then still had not got to grips with the involvement of people. Conservation was centred on wilderness areas, not on the people resource interface! Whilst the 1978 conference also had 150 participants from all over the world, few of them cared about forests. It is a sobering thought that today we can host a major conference on the Eastern Arc Forests alone! (Has the world changed? And are we about to see an era of real conservation?). In 1978, most participants were from overseas. In today's workshop, Tanzanians make up over half the active audience! It is instructive to think back 20 years and consider forest conservation issues in Tanzania in 1978: • The word 'conservation' was not in the University Forest Curriculum (not once!). • Forest students did not go to natural forests for training (not once in three years!). Logging and on-farm agro-forestry were the focus topics then. • Intense mechanical logging was underway in the East Usambara Forests, supported by government and foreign aid. • The word biodiversity did not exist. • The human population of Tanzania was half that of today, and the demand for forest products was less than half. Woodland resources were still available to meet much of that fuel wood need. • There were conservation arguments in the Usambara Forests. Much of the canopy had a cardamom understorey. We noted that Kenya with no cardamom growing areas exported twice our national output! • The Forest Department had money and capability-but little conservation concern. But now, there is much greater concern, but lost capacity and no money!