Mazumbai Forest Reserve

Mazumbai Forest Reserve is a 320 hectare montane evergreen rainforest stretching from 1300 to 1900 meters above sea level located in Lushoto District in the West Usambara Mountains between latitude 4 ^o 50’S and longitude 38 ^o 30’E.

The forest reserve is one of the best examples of pristine rainforest of this type remaining in East Africa. The forest serves as a sanctuary for rare and endemic plant and animal species in Usambara mountains and also provides water catchment proprieties essential to the surrounding human population. The forest is owned and managed by Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA).

Mazumbai Forest Reserve was originally part of the Mazumbai Coffee Estate, which was given to the estate's first Swiss manager, Mr. Hugo Tanner, upon his retirement in 1944. In 1968, Hugo Tanner's son, John Tanner, donated the forest to the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) with the stipulation that it be preserved and that visiting researchers would be welcome. In 1982, when John Tanner left the country, he further donated his chalet at Mazumbai to UDSM to serve as accommodation for visitors.

Initially, the management of Mazumbai Forest Reserve at UDSM was overseen by the Division of Forestry within the Faculty of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Sciences at Morogoro. In 1984, this faculty was transformed into a full-fledged university, becoming Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), and the Division of Forestry was elevated to the Faculty of Forestry. Consequently, SUA inherited the forest reserve, which was assigned to the Faculty of Forestry (now the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Tourism) as its custodian. SUA employs forest managers, guards, and attendants to ensure that local villagers do not harvest fuel wood or medicinal herbs from the forest.

Mazumbai receives 1230 mm annual rainfall which is divided into two rainy seasons: the short rains from October to December and the longer, more reliable rains, from April to June.

The estimated evapotranspiration of the forest is 110 mm annually, meaning a surplus of water is produced every year. The mean annual temperature is 15°C , with the coldest period averaging 12°C in May, June, and July, and the warmest period averaging with 20°C in January, February, and March.

The main tribes inhabiting the surrounding areas include the Wapare and the Sambaa, who engage in agriculture, forestry, and small-scale mining. The population density in the vicinity of Mazumbai Forest Reserve is estimated to be 150 people per sq. km, with communities relying on the forest for various resources such as timber, medicinal plants, and non-timber forest products.

Mazumbai Forest Reserve vegetation is stratified into five vegetation communities located in different altitudinal bands of the forest:

(a) at 1468 m: Sorindeia usambarensis–Parinary exelsa–Newtonia buchananii forest

(b) at 1515 m: Strombosia scheffleri – Craibea brevicaudata – Pachysteh msolo – Isoberlina scheffleri forest

(c) at 1527 m: Syzygium guineense – Sorindeia usambarensis – Parinari exelsa – Newtonia buchananii forest.

(d) at 1662 m: Ocotea usambarensis – Syzygium guinense – Parinari exelsa forest and

(e) at 1770 m: Agauria salicifolia – Ocotea usambarensis – Cryptocarya liebertina forest.

The emergent tree species reach heights over 50m and diameters up to 2 meters. In addition many porous huge trees are supported by huge buttresses and have long creeping roots. Typical lower storey plants include species of Dracaena, Maytenus and Rauvolfia.

The forest is also important for the African violet (Saintpaulia spp) and a number of fungi and foliicolous lichens.

Mazumbai Forest Reserve has two beautiful Swiss chalets built in the 1940s capable of accommodating 12 people. The grand living rooms of the chalets are heated by a warm fireplace, providing a relaxing retreat after long hikes in the forest. The main living room has a small library with various research reports about the Mazumbai forest and surrounding forests and villages. These texts are made available to researchers and students as reference materials. In addition, the centre provides cutlery and kitchen assistance to visitors.

The chalets are surrounded with colorful, well-tended flower gardens and lush, evergreen lawns. The lawns are also used as camping sites, where visitors can stay in tents for a small fee. There is ample supply of unpolluted freshwater originating from streams in the forest. The water is also used to run a Swiss hydroelectric generator to produce electricity for lighting in the houses.

Mazumbai Forest Reserve has served as a location for field practical training and research activities by local and foreign students, staff and researchers since 1984. Popular research fields include botany, forestry, zoology and other sciences, with a special emphasis on tropical forest ecology.

Since 1995, the forest reserve has maintained a partnership with the School for International Training (S.I.T.), a programme based in the United States of America (U.S.A.) that offers field-based study abroad experiences for undergraduate university students. Mazumbai has been a site for the students to conduct field practical research and complete independent study projects (ISPs). There have been more than 100 ISP projects, now memorialized at the Mazumbai library, since the S.I.T. programme started.

Some of the attractions at Mazumbai Forest Reserve include:

• Kwangoto mountain: It takes a 4-5 hour walk to view different type of trees, vegetation communities and different animals such as rock hyrax

• Kwamshunde road: it takes a 1-2 hour walk to watch nocturnal animals including elephant shrew and views of a water fall and streams

• Kwemapipa area: it takes a 2-3 hour walk to view big trees with huge battress and long creeping roots and watch bush pigs

• Kwemamboma area: it takes a 2-3 hour walk to watch different types of trees with different size of buttresses

• Mayo road: it takes a 2-3 hour walk to watch birds, black and white colobus monkey, chameleon,  and nocturnal bush baby (komba)

The Mazumbai Forest Reserve is 55 km from Mombo town, along the Dar-es-Salaam/Arusha highway. From Mombo, a 15 km drive on a paved road will take you to Soni town.  From Soni a 25 km drive on an all-weather earth road to Bumbuli town. Then a 15 km drive from Bumbuli to Mazumbai Forest Reserve.

Manager

Mazumbai Forest Reserve

P.O. Box 152, Soni, Tanzania

E-mail:  mazumbai@sua.ac.tz 

Stephano P. Kingazi, Principal Forester and Forest Manager

Contact: 0754855434

Agness O. Ngao: Forest Officer

Contact: +255 693 214 838

Joyce B. Makeve: Staff Sargent of Auxiliary Police Contact: 0686934999

Frank R. Chaoga: Sargent of Auxiliary Police Contact: 0715626546

Iddi H. Iddi: Office Assistant Contact: 0768605021

Fikirini N. Yahaya: Office Assistant Contact: 0655045316

Michael Y. Msigiti: Office Assistant Contact: 0782270426

Abraham H. Mtali: Office Assistant Contact: 0656509378

Alexandra Z. Vincent: Office Assistant Contact: 0678738741

Zuena H. Shemmela: Office Assistant Contact: 0786298394