Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests of Tanzania and Kenya ...

Commercial Timber ExtractionThere have been national moratoriums on commercial logging in high forests in Tanzania sincethe early 1990s and in indigenous forests in Kenya since the late 1990s, but enforcement andmonitoring have been erratic in both countries. In Tanzania, where the local district forestofficers (DFOs) report to the local district authorities rather than to FBD headquarters, thecommand structure is compromised and local pressure on DFOs to ignore illegal logging can bestrong. In Kenya, high-level political connections enabled certain large timber companies tocontinue to extract indigenous trees despite the moratorium, although their activities have mainlyfocused on other areas of the country (e. g. Mount Elgon). Throughout both Kenya and Tanzania,the threats are greatest to forests where high value timber like camphor (Ocotea usambarensis)or mvule (Milicia excelsa) is present.In practice, the government system of obtaining licenses to log trees from forest reserves is oftenignored and the majority of logging being undertaken in the reserves is illegal. There is a greatdeal of commercial timber extraction by small-scale poachers, responding to the demands ofurbanization and tourism development. Very little of the value of this timber goes back to thepoachers, who are usually at the bottom end of an exploitative network of foresters, middlemenand contractors. Forests close to tourist areas, such as Arabuko-Sokoke Forest near Malindi andWatamu in Kenya, suffer from the high demand for carving wood (Brachylaena huillensis) andtimber for the construction of hotels, private residences and tourist attractions. The carving woodindustry is much bigger in Kenya than in Tanzania and poaching of carving wood trees is mostcommon in Tanzania near the Kenya/Tanzania border.Other Forest Resource ExtractionCommercial fuelwood extraction and charcoal production are a problem near urban centres, withDar es Salaam and Mombasa and the Stone City in Zanzibar as majormarkets. Fuelwood is also commercially harvested from Udzungwa Mountain National Park forlocal brewing. As roads are improved, more forests become at risk because of increased accessfor fuelwood and charcoal merchants. For example, Rondo and Kitope Forest Reserve arethreatened by the development of a new road to Dar es Salaam.Most timber for local construction in the villages close to the forests comes from the foreststhemselves, mainly in the form of poles of young trees. For larger buildings, doors and windowframes planked timber is obtained from pitsawing groups working in the forests. As most ofthese teams are either operating in areas where logging is not permitted or they lack the licensesfor the trees that they are cutting, the majority of timber being used in local construction isillegal. Most of this timber is sold and hence is, in reality, a commercial use of the forests, onlyto supply the local market.A range of other products is extracted for various household uses, like medicinal plants, ediblefruits, wild honey, grass and fodder for livestock and bamboo collection for tomato basketweaving. These activities can cause local problems, especially where extraction methods aredestructive such as careless debarking of medicinal trees. Targeted species are already scarce.Hunting is historically responsible for the absence of several large mammals (buffalo, rhino,elephant, leopard, bushbuck) from large areas in the hotspot where they used to roam. The local42