Investigation of deforestation in east africa on regional. Tanzania forest information and data according to the u. The coastal forests of tanzania and kenya have been reduced to just 10 per cent of their original area. Drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in kilwa district. Although generalisations have been made on the rates, magnitude and causes of deforestation in tanzania, differences exist in different areas because of local variations in the types of land use and economic activities, nature of the vegetation and demands for various forest products including fuelwood. Despite conservation efforts, tanzanias forests still under. Concluding remarks there is a clear linkages between deforestation and worlds demands of fiber, food, and fuel understanding the underlying or indirect causes of deforestation is crucial to address redd and climate change most deforestation is driven from outside forestry sector e. The most discussed causes of deforestation such as population, gross domestic product, external debt, government policies etc.
Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. Illegal and destructive logging and mining practices are heavy hitters in deforestation and degradation of the sub saharan land. Tanzania has seen extensive deforestation in the heavily populated areas in the central and in the southern highlands. Deforestation is ongoing and is shaping climate and geography deforestation is a contributor to global warming, and is often cited as one of the major causes of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Forest cover and change for the eastern arc mountains and. In malawi, the low price of firewood from customary land is a barrier to reforestation. Despite the adoption of pfm in tanzania, like other developing countries, deforestation and conflicts on forest resources management are still persisting in many forest reserves. Ugalla ecosystem, kigoma region, western part of tanzania. Tanzania, differences exist in different areas because of local.
Its importance is prompted by economic and ecological roles played by the forests and the notable adverse effects caused by deforestation on human and other. For example, 75% includes only areas with more than 75% tree cover, whereas 10% includes all areas with more than 10% tree cover. The country has an annual deforestation rate of about 1 percent, around 400,000 hectares, which is twice the world rate of. Tropical deforestation is responsible for approximately 20% of world greenhouse gas emissions. In tanzania, the residents of kokota have planted more than 2 million trees on their small island over a decade, aiming to repair previous damage.
In east africa, farmland increased 50% since 1980 gibbs et al. While the secondary data source involved the search into published and unpublished materials relevant to. The major cash crops grown in the district are coconuts, cashew nuts and sesame, while maize. If government were to grow trees and sell them at current firewood prices, subsidies would be so great that only a very small part of wood deficits could be met. The obvious causes of desertification and deforestation consist of major ecosystem changes, such as land conversion for various purposes, overdependence on natural resources and several forms of unsustainable land use. Deforestation tables and charts for united republic of tanzania. The changes in area of forest by region and subregion are shown in table 1. Coastal tanzania contained over 273 700 ha of forest in 2007. Charcoal and fuelwood are by far the most widely used sources of domestic energy in tanzania. In africa, over 50% of new agricultural land came from forests. Human population growth translates into the expansion of land under agriculture in forest areas in order to meet the increased demand for food and income figure 5. According to the intergovernmental panel on climate change deforestation, mainly in tropical areas, could. Penny encyclopedia of life support systems eolss the situation in africa is particularly acute, but even the densely populated asian and pacific regions contain roughly 1. Tanzania, there are 66 forest patches covering an area of 700 sq.
Deforestation facts and information national geographic. The fao 2005 estimates tanzanias annual rate of deforestation at 4,000 hectares per annum. Deforestation has serious implications locally and globally. Forests and trees play multiple roles in the rural life of majority of tanzanian. Myers 1986 identified poverty, unequal land distribution, low agricultural productivity, rapid population growth and various inappropriate and counter productive governmentpublic policies as underlying causes of deforestation. Oct 07, 2016 the current deforestation rate in tanzania is approaching 373,000 hectares per year, making it among the highest in east africa. The aim of this thesis was to summarize and analyze some of the main causes and consequences of the rapid and continuing deforestation in tanzania, and to illustrate the impacts of the problem on the social, economic and environmental systems of the country.
It also suggests the best methods for overcoming deforestation in tanzania. Lake manyara basin, geita gold mines, usangu wetlands and ngorongoro conservation areas have been affected the most by inadequate control and land management. Causes, effects and control strategies 5 deforestation are maintained. Deforestation caused by human activities such as agricultural expansion, charcoal production and. Much scholarly work trying to answer this question either points to a single dominant factor most often population pressures or human encroachment through shifting cultivation or to an irreducible complexity. Dec 05, 2008 however, only about six percent of the agricultural land is cultivated with the practice of shifting cultivation which causes deforestation and land degradation on the pastoral land. Tanzania has about 48 million ha of forest cover which is approximately 55% of her forest and woodland cover malimbwi, 2014. Collecting firewood in the conservation area risks punishment and uses time that could be spent on more prosperous activities. Deforestation is happening in southern africa much faster. Desertification has been defined as land degradation in arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities11. This gave room for poor people from tanganyika and rural areas to build their houses on these more or less free lands without any planning regulation. Causes of deforestation in pakistan is open for the scholarship allows level programms in the field of taught at the deadline of the scholarhip is. According to fao, deforestation is the conversion of.
The main underlying causes of land degradation consist of socioeconomic population growth and associated activities. Modelling the severity of deforestation in coastal tanzania and a comparison of data sources is entirely my own work and that where material could be construed as the work of others, it is fully cited and referenced, andor with appropriate acknowledgement given. The extent and drivers of deforestation and forest. These forests are however faced with deforestation at a rate of 372000 ha per annum. Assessment of linkages between population dynamics and. Causes and impacts of land degradation and desertification.
In particular, the study investigated the extent and causes of deforestation, focusing more on tobacco cultivation, and tried to link this to broader processes of social, economic and technological change which characterise a particular style of development. If government were to grow trees and sell them at current firewood prices. While deforestation in other parts of the world is mainly caused by commercial logging or cattle ranching the leading causes in africa are associated with human activity. Deforestation the causes of deforestation in tanzania are threefold. In particular, the study investigated the extent and causes of deforestation, focusing more on tobacco cultivation, and tried to link this to broader processes of social, economic and technological change which characterise a particular style of developmentcentred on agricultural production. Potential effects of improved cookstove use and barriers. It is estimated that 92 percent of all fuel consumed in tanzania is from wood and agricultural residues. One of the major causes of deforestation in sub saharan africa today is clearing of the forests for agricultural uses.
The causes and consequences of the informal settlements in. Between 1990 and 2010, tanzania lost an average of 403,350 ha or 0. Pakistan is not selfsufficient in wood based products and spends billions of rupees on import of wood and wood based products. Preventing deforestation a key goal of international climate policycan incur an opportunity cost for local communities who depend on forest resources for their livelihoods. The main objective of this study is to provide an understanding of the principal processes underlying deforestation in kahama district.
Today, a host of problems are hindering environmentally sustainable development in the country, whether on land or at sea. Harvesting, forest fires, and insect infestations do not count as deforestation because the affected areas will eventually grow back. Meanwhile, forests are a major source of fuelwood in east africa fao, 2001. Deforestation is happening in southern africa much faster than previously thought new research using radar data, as opposed to visual satellite imagery, is a reminder that deforestation and environmental degradation arent just happening in tropical forests. Agricultural expansion is probably the most important human activity that causes deforestation. Biomass and land use carbon emissions data for tanzania tree cover threshold is used for defining the tree cover area. Uganda is at risk of losing all its forests if deforestation in uganda continues at its present rate there would be no forests left in 40 years. Preliminary study on the drivers of deforestation and. Individual firewood collection, like josephs, is only one of many sources of deforestation in tanzania, but it is one that has numerous consequences.
In tanzania, the impact of agriculture on deforestation is influenced by a number of factors including human population growth, poverty and government policies. Commonly identified underlying driving forces are poverty, population dynamics, loss of traditional knowledge of forest management, weak institutions, lack of monitoring and. Sep 05, 2018 deforestation is happening in southern africa much faster than previously thought new research using radar data, as opposed to visual satellite imagery, is a reminder that deforestation and environmental degradation arent just happening in tropical forests. Deforestation rates in the area have slowed from 1. The extent and drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in.
Pdf an analysis of the causes of deforestation in malawi. Theories of deforestation tropical deforestation has become a topic of great concern to environmentalists over the past several decades. Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to utilize the land or trees. Proximate factors causing deforestation and forest degradation included. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this. Indeed some 31 countries do not even make the list because they have already removed most of their forests and even if that remain are seriously fragmented and degraded.
Jun 17, 2015 currently, tanzania has approximately 39. Deforestation is primarily a concern for the developing countries of the tropics myers, 1994 as it is shrinking areas of the tropical forests. United republic of tanzania s data is derived from the fao. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops to only 4% of the land area. Community perceptions towards participatory forest. Deforestation mostly occurs in developing countries. Effects of limestone mining on deforestation and land. Drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in kilwa. Mining, infrastructure and urban expansion are important but less prominent. Nevertheless, deforestation has been a widespread phenomenon in tropical africa, with an annual forest clearance of between 1.
Typically, deforestation is clearing a lot of trees without the intention of establishing future growth. Illegal and unsustainable deforestation a majority of tanzanians rely on wood and agricultural residues for their energy needs, causing deforestation and environmental degradation. When they are degraded, it can set off a devastating chain of events both locally and around the world. Deforestation in tanzania threatens the future of forests. Deforestation is a contributor to global warming, and is often cited as one of the major causes of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Drivers of deforestation in kilwa 6 almost entirely dependent on traditional methods and gear artisanal fishing including mashua, dau, ngalawa and dugout canoes macemp 2001. Lessons from economic models arild angelsen david kaimowitz this article, which synthesizes the results of more than 140 economic models analyzing the causes of tropical deforestation, raises significant doubts about many conventional hypotheses in the debate about deforestation. Deforestation in malawi david french consultant in economic development, rome summary. This concern has sparked a variety of theories, some complementary and some contradictory, about the causes of deforestation. This paper therefore, intended to assess the extent of deforestation and forest degradation in the area, and to determine their causes.
The impact of charcoal production on forest degradation. Basic concepts of deforestation, degradation, and fragmentation 2. The threat in addition to outright land conversion, the regions forests are under pressure from overharvesting for timber and fuelwood. There is a clear linkages between deforestation and worlds demands of fiber, food, and fuel understanding the underlying or indirect causes of deforestation is crucial to address redd and climate change most deforestation is driven from outside forestry sector e. A total of 101 respondents were considered as the sample size for this study. Land tenure and increasing population are also a major cause of deforestation. The causes of deforestation differ from country to country. The causes and consequences of the informal settlements in zanzibar shaping the change xxiii fig congress munich, germany, october 8, 2006 land in zanzibar was under wakf1 fair 2001. The economy depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for almost half of gdp, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force. Deforestation and co2 emissions in coastal tanzania from 1990. Although generalisations have been made on the rates, magnitude and causes of deforestation in. Rapid deforestation is a major problem in east africa and seriously affects.
Josephat m petroleum production and geoscience makerere university, dip. Deforestation and forest degradation is ultimately driven by the demand for timber and other forest. A case of mwazisi article pdf available in land 83. Concluding remarks there is a clear linkages between deforestation and worlds demands of fiber, food, and fuel understanding the underlying or indirect causes of deforestation is crucial to address redd and climate change most deforestation is driven. Charcoal making, a commercial activity, which in most countries is largely unregulated and outside government controls, has also been reported to be an important cause of deforestation, with its effects largely seen close to cities timberlake, 1991. The bad news is that scientists are not really sure how accurate this figure is. In a global context, annual deforestation rates are relatively low in central africa, compared to other rainforests in southeast asia and south america. Forests are complex ecosystems that are important to the carbon and water cycles that sustain life on earth. Deforestation is ongoing and is shaping climate and geography. Deforestation and forest degradation has been observed to be rampant in masitougalla ecosystem, kigoma region, western part of tanzania. United republic of tanzania food and agriculture organization of. While while the highest levels of biodiversity are found in the closed canopy forest, this only makes up about 1%. Download fulltext pdf download fulltext pdf an analysis of the causes of deforestation in malawi. Deforestation and forest degradation are some of the challenges facing the forest sector in tanzania kessy, 1998.
In tanzania, fmp is adopted and in 1998 tanzania forest policy was introduced, tanzania fand 2002 orest law was to use pfmin managing her forest resources urt, 1998. Deforestation is another major environmental problem in tanzania. Jun 05, 2017 it might be best known for its wildlife, but tanzania is facing a growing number of environmental concerns and biodiversity in the country is under threat rapid deforestation means more than. Deforestation tables and charts for united republic of tanzania deforestation data for united republic of tanzania, 19902005. The coastal forests of tanzania and kenya have been reduced to just 10 per cent of.
Realities on deforestation in tanzania trends, drivers. Deforestation and co2 emissions in coastal tanzania from. Pdf the extent and drivers of deforestation and forest. In developing countries, like tanzania, the main driver of deforestation is shifting agriculture contributing up to 80% of the countrys deforestation. Deforestation and connectivity among protected areas of tanzania. Causes of the environmental degradation when looks at environmental crisis from the point of view in the form of deforestation, desertification and soil erosion, one discovers that it has been caused by among other factors the increasing pressure on land by expanding human and livestock population, overgrazing, over cultivation and bushfires. Sep 14, 2019 the causes of deforestation differ from country to country. In africa and subtropical asia it accounts for around of deforestation and is of similar importance to subsistence agriculture.
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