TONGWE & MASITO FOREST CONSERVATION

Located in Western Tanzania, the area of interest has never had an official land management system. Within the area, local district authorities identified two forest reserves and labelled them as “Tongwe” (which is the name of the Indigenous tribe) and “Masito” (which means forest in the local language). These forest reserves protect the watershed, the forest resources, and the wildlife-rich habitat.
As part of the project, we’ll implement joint forest reserves management programmes. This implies a collaboration among neighbouring villages for the sustainable management of the forest resources.
Our aim is to protect a 750,000-ha ecosystem, including wet deciduous woodlands crossed by florid tracts of river forest as well as a mixed pattern of grasslands, marshlands, and bamboo shrubs. The forest ecosystem protects a large water basin serving the surrounding communities. This flows into the Tanganica lake and hosts a large oriental chimpanzee population, which is currently endangered.