Designing a Mangrove Research and Demonstration Forest in the Rufiji Delta, Tanzania
Loading...
Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Despite the growing body of literature on science and management of mangroves, there
is a considerable knowledge gap and uncertainty at local levels regarding the carbon
pool size, variability of carbon sequestration and carbon stocks within mangrove forests,
mechanisms that control carbon emissions from degradation of mangrove forests, impacts
of conversion to other land uses, challenges and opportunities associated with restoration
practices and sustainability of ecosystem services. These concerns are valid globally, but
they are particularly important in Africa due to limited research that has been conducted
in the continent. The USDA Forest Service (USFS) and the Center for International Forest
Research (CIFOR) have completed comprehensive studies on mangrove carbon in the South
East Asia (SEA) and the Oceania (Donato and others 2011, Kauffman and others 2011) with
financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as
part of its Sustainable Wetlands Adaptation and Mitigation Program (SWAMP). By drawing
from the reported findings, lessons and experiences from SWAMP, inter-agency consortiums
of academic and research institutions and conservation non-governmental organizations
in Tanzania and Mozambique, with technical support from the USFS Center for Forested
Wetlands Research and financial assistance of the USAID Africa Bureau, are developing the
East Africa Mangrove Carbon Project (EAMCP). This initiative intends to support capacity
development, advance scientific knowledge, and improve data collection in the areas of
measurement and monitoring of carbon stocks and the impact of utilization and degradation
in mangrove forests. Ultimately, EAMCP aims to provide scientific information and capacity
to inform effective policy and management actions for the secured future of mangroves in
East Africa. The consortium in Tanzania is utilizing the EAMCP opportunity to establish
a mangrove research and demonstration forest in the Rufiji Delta (MRDF). This facility
will be officially designated and sanctioned within the administering government agency,
the Tanzania Forestry Service (TFS). The designation will entail recognition of the site as
a special use area, where activities are aimed at research, demonstration, and training for
capacity development of academic and scientific community, practitioners and managers, and
communities.
Description
Keywords
Mangrove, Rufiji delta, Tanzania
Citation
Mangora, M.M., Shalli, M.S., Semesi, I.S., Njana, M.A., Mwainunu, E.J., Otieno, J.E., Ntibasubile, E., Mallya, H.C., Mukama, K., Wambura, M. and Chamuya, N.A., 2016. DESIGNING A MANGROVE RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATION FOREST IN THE RUFIJI DELTA, TANZANIA. Headwaters to Estuaries: Advances in Watershed Science and Management, p.190.