A total of 137 out of 1,215 farmers in Kibungo Juu ward, in Morogoro region, have benefited from a water conservation project in Uluguru Mountain under the Equitable Payment for Watershed Services (EPWS) programme. They have also planted about 170,000 trees.

Speaking to ‘The Guardian’ newspaper recently in Morogoro, one of the residents, Rehema Chuma, said the project had helped them increase crop production after they started applying modern agricultural technologies.

She said at least 137 farmers had been awarded by EPWS after they had shown agricultural improvement and conservation of water sources. She noted that the programme aimed at ensuring water conservation and enabling farmers to improve their livelihoods through agriculture.

She explained that previously they were getting fewer crops due to lack of agricultural education and modern seeds.

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The Uluguru Mountains are a chain of cool, wet, highland forests in central Tanzania that have attracted human settlement for hundreds of years.

A meeting with a local community at the Uluguru Mountains. PHOTO: M. Mäkelä

The mountains are the source of the Ruvu River, which sustains 2.8 million people in Tanzania’s capital city, Dar es Salaam.

With the Uluguru population currently standing at over 100,000 people, pressure from farming and logging activities has significantly reduced forest cover. This has negatively affected water quantity and quality of River Ruvu.

In recent years, several conservation projects have been initiated that aim to restore the natural resource base of the Ulugurus. However, not all have been equally successful.

Therefore, the focus has shifted from subsidy-based approaches for conservation activities to more direct payments for environmental services under which farmers receive economic incentives for providing watershed services through their conservation efforts.
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About the Uluguru Mountains

Uluguru Mountains in Tanzania. PHOTO/V. Meadu

Located in Morogoro district of Tanzania, Uluguru Mountains rise as a sudden outcrop from the surrounding area. Although the base area of the mountains is only 30 kilometres (km) by 60 km, the mountains reach up to 2400 metres in height. As a result, many parts of the mountains are steeply sloped with narrow valleys.

Uluguru Mountains provide several valuable environmental services including biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and watershed functions. The area possesses great endemic biodiversity with several endangered floral and faunal species. It is therefore classified among the top biodiversity hotspots of the world. Similarly, the forests and the tree cover in the mountains provide precious carbon sequestration functions.

The most important benefit for Tanzania is perhaps the regulation of water flow. Ulugurus are the source of River Ruvu, which provides water to Dar es Salaam, the biggest city in Tanzania and a major economic zone.

However, most environmental services from the Ulugurus are under threat due to rapid deforestation in the mountains. Over the last fifty years a significant proportion of tree cover has been lost resulting in recurrent landslides and bare mountain slopes.
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Students from across the world are gaining a practical perspective on rewards for environmental services by working with target communities at PRESA sites.

Left to right: Rohit Jindal, Mamta Vardhan, Sarah Carter and Janet Fisher

The PRESA students are liaising with development organizations and government departments as they seek to understand the policy context behind rewards for environmental services.

Currently, PRESA has four students working at the Tanzania and Uganda sites. (more…)