Evaluering
Terminal Evaluation of the project on Improving Natural Resources use on the Eastern side of Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania
The Udzungwa Mountains National Park (UMNP) and its surrounding areas represent one of the few parts of the Eastern Arc Mountains range, a global biodiversity hotspot, which have endemic species of plants and animals and also have dense rainforest cover remaining from low to high altitude (approximately 250-2,500 m a.s.l). The mountains serve as water towers for surrounding high value agricultural land and feed streams and rivers flowing into the Great Ruaha and Kilombero Rivers and the Rufiji Basin. The water from the mountains supports various commercial services such as two of the countries key hydropower generation facilities (total capacity of 380 MW at the Kidatu and Kihansi hydropower stations connected to the national grid), irrigated agriculture, tourism and fisheries. Despite the Udzungwa catchments being one of Tanzania’s critical water towers, information on its true value for the economy is poorly analysed, understood and documented. Unsustainable utilisation of forest, water and land resources in areas adjacent to the Park, particularly the Vidunda hills (adjacent to Great Ruaha River and Kidatu Dam) is alarming and threatening local people’s access to forest products and causes loss of ecosystem goods and services such as freshwater supply, fertile soils, building materials, fuelwood and non-timber forest products. The conservation of these forests is an essential pre-requisite to sustainable development not only in the districts immediately surrounding the land, but to the broader Tanzanian population through being part of the wider and vital Udzungwa Mountains. Sustainable catchment forest protection, management and restoration are needed to allow for maintenance of ecological services and local and national economic development. Unsustainable financing and inadequate coordination of partners’ efforts have led to limited impacts from previous conservation initiatives in the Udzungwa Mountains. There is a need to stop degradation on the Vidunda catchment and explore possible means for sustainably financing catchment management and protection. The project goal, which the proposed project will contribute to, is “the integrity of the Udzungwa Mountains Catchment is conserved so that it continues to provide vital sustainable goods and services at local, national and international levels.”