The Eastern Arc Mountains

The Eastern Arc is a chain of ancient mountains covered by rain forests and grasslands in Tanzania and Kenya. Scientists believe that the forest has survived on the Eastern Arc Mountains for over 30 million years, and were once connected to the forests of the Congo Basin and West Africa. Neighbouring mountains are much younger, for example Kilimanjaro is estimated to be about 1-2 million years old.

At least 100 vertebrates and 800 plants are endemic to these mountains. These are mainly found in the forest habitats. Estimates suggest that more than 70% of the original forest cover has been destroyed and only about 3,500 sq km of forest remain on the mountains. Most of the forest has been lost in the past 100 years due to conversion to farmland, unsustainable timber harvesting and uncontrolled fires.

Conserving these forest habitats is very important for the global community and for the people of Tanzania. Most of the remaining forests are within government forest reserves. These government forest reserves are poorly funded and have few staff, however they provide the mainstay for conservation in the area. Since 1998 local people often supported by civil society organisations have been increasingly involved in the management of the Eastern Arc forests.

For further information see www.easternarc.or.tz and www.easternarc.org.