The impacts of anthropogenic activities on the vegetation communities and structure in the western part of Rungwe forest reserve, Tanzania

Rungwe Forest Reserve is among degraded southern Tanzania tropical montane forests. It was investigated the effects of illegal anthropogenic activities on the plant community structure on the western part of Rungwe mountain forest reserve. The study area was classified the into three levels of disturbance (least disturbed, moderately disturbed and highly disturbed) and transect method was used to collect data. Two clusters (cluster A and B) of plant communities based on Two Way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN) were found. Cluster A included communities from the least and moderate disturbed sites and cluster B had plant communities from the highly disturbed site The least, moderately and highly disturbed sites had many individuals within the DBH range of 19-57 cm10-47 cm and 11-14 cm respectively. The observed variation in size class structure among the sites was caused by the intensity of anthropogenic disturbance. The inverted J shaped patterns of diameter size class distribution were indicative of regeneration and active recruitment from lower tree growth sizes. It was concluded that the existing plant community structure was shaped by the impacts of anthropogenic activities. Thus, conservation management interventions are necessary for protection of the forest.Keywords: Plant communities, disturbance, montane forest, population size structure, Rungwe

Analysis of Land Cover Changes in Afromontane Vegetation of Image Forest Reserve, Southern Highlands of Tanzania

An analysis of land cover changes (LCCs) was done in Image Forest Reserve (IFR) from August to October 2019. Free satellite images for 1990, 2004, and 2018 were downloaded from Landsat 5 (TM) and Landsat 8 (OLI) available through the USGS portal. Ground surveys were conducted using systematically set plots of 20 m × 40 m to identify the existing land cover types and human illegal activities. Geographical coordinates for each of these plots were recorded using handheld GPS. We witnessed the changes of land cover types in the three decades. Forest had contracted, while shrubland and grassland and woodland had expanded within IFR. Between 1990 and 2004, woodland, bareland and rocky outcrops, shrubland, and grassland had consistently decreased though at a different rate of change, while forest has increased between the same assessment periods. The period of 2004–2018 has shown a consistent increase at different rates in woodland, bareland and rocky outcrops, shrubland, and grassland at a different rate of change, while forest has decreased between the same assessment periods. Further study is needed, bylaws and laws should be implemented, participatory forest management should be encouraged, beekeeping and ecotourism should be introduced, provision of regular education to the community by the Tanzania Forest Service (TFS) should be encouraged, and awareness creation should be made