How reforestation protects Tanzania’s wildlife

Kilombero. Reforestation in the Nyerere Selous-Udzungwa wildlife corridor is setting standards for the other 60 identified Tanzanian corridors after becoming the first to be enclosed with an electric fence.

The move helps monitor the daily movement of wildlife, especially elephants, from one national park to another and prevents them from entering neighbouring villages.

The corridor connects the Udzungwa Mountains National Park and the Nyerere National Park, where wild animals pass across the nearby village on their way from one park to another in search of pasture and water.

Reforest Africa’s tree planting project was executed in the corridor to restore its nature adversely affected by human activities, including agriculture, mining, and human settlement development.

The Journalists Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET), which implements a similar project, visited the corridor to witness activities executed by Reforest Africa, particularly the corridor’s fencing and tree planting.

Reforest Africa programme manager Lisimo Nzao said reforesting the corridor was the organisation’s biggest mission, noting that they are working closely with the neighbouring communities for a successful realisation.

He said they engage in the execution of different activities, including tree planting in the corridor, community development, agro-forestry, and other related activities.

“Our target is to plant 100,000 trees in the corridor by the end of this project and ensure that 70 percent of them survive. Already, we have planted over 40,000 trees, and the job is underway,” he said.

Furthermore, he said a nursery has been established for the production of seedlings before transplanting them to the corridor.

According to him, sown seeds are collected from the forest, and most of the time they buy a large part of it from the villagers.

“The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has significantly helped us in finding seeds, sowing, taking care of, and transplanting seedlings from the nurseries to the corridor,” said Mr Nzao during the visit.

He said that currently, Reforest Africa has 27 species of trees in its nursery.

Reforest Africa community development expert, Mr Peter Paul, says that the villages have responded positively to the forestation project in the corridor and that they were willing to surrender their land for project implementation.

“The general public is very supportive; we rely on them in terms of getting seeds, taking care of trees, and their protection. It is obvious that nowadays, elephants are no longer a problem because they have somewhere to pass,” he notes.

Mang’ula Village resident, Mr Said Mngulu, said citizens in the area have been supporting the project implementation corridor because of the benefits they reap from it.

According to him, from the project, villagers earn a living by selling seeds to the organisation overseeing the reforestation activities, and citizens' safety is guaranteed.

“Previously, elephants crossed our villages because they had nowhere to pass. Electric fences built in the corridor have severely reduced incidents to the lowest,” Mr Mngulu emphasised.