Tanzanian forests are threatened by a rapidly rising demand for wood for construction, fuel and unregulated raw timber exports. Our work aims to empower policy makers and local communities to safe-guard forests and improve livelihoods.

We combine forest surveys and modelling to enhance understanding of the drivers and patterns of forest degradation in Tanzania and to facilitate targeted policy interventions [1, 2].

We also team up with social scientists to assess potentials of community-based forest management as part of a recently awarded Darwin Initiative project.

Thanks to funding from People’s Postcode Lottery we developed a film highlighting the importance of forests. This was screened at 83 schools in Tanzania and reached over 36,000 children.

[1] Ahrends A, et al. (2010) Predictable waves of sequential forest degradation and biodiversity loss spreading from an African city. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 107(33):14556-14561.

[2] Ahrends A, et al. (2017) Saving Forests, Changing Lives: Current status and trends inthe Tanzanian coastal forests and their woody resources. (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, WWF Tanzania Country Office, Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology, University of East Anglia, TRAFFIC East Africa, UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania).

For more information contact Antje Ahrends and visit tanzanianforests.com