Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre, Udzungwa Mountains

Currently the centre, based in Mangula, is dealing with biological research and monitoring activities in the Udzungwa Mountains, and to utilize this information to develop more effective conservation management and community education plans adjacent the Park.

The programme of conservation education to community, works with primary and secondary schools in the villages near the Park and includes activities such as establishing nursery trees, planting trees and lessons on important of protection of natural resources such as animals and plants.
The centre also aims to enhance conservation awareness and encourage local villagers to visit the park with projects such as school competitions on tree planting where the winner will be given awards. This is an ongoing project where funds from visitors can help to include all the targeted schools. So far two primary schools (Mlimani and Mang’ula primary school) have been included and it is hoped eventually to include all targeted schools.

The support of conservation awareness in school education in the local communities is a core focus of the environmental centre..
Awareness of this program includes adults, but basically focuses on school children, because they are the future generation and it is easier to educate many children and convey the message in a shorter time period compared to the adults who are always busy in economic activities. Also the school children can also convey conservation awareness messages to their parents when they go home. The long term aim is that the future generation will be educated in conservation ideals so, as adults, they will help to reduce the negative impact on natural resources in protected areas.

Other activities that are still going from the environment centre include primate monitoring, camera trapping, and vegetation monitoring as well as human disturbance monitoring in the Udzungwa Mountains National Park and the forest reserve adjacent to the Park. These activities are done with the collaboration of the Park and Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre (UEMC)

Cultural elements:

In the East of the Udzungwa, in the villages around the HQ, the native tribes are Wandamba and Wapogoro and most are fishermen and rice farmers. In Southern Highlands, the area is inhabited by the Wahehe people and Wabena, and in the South East the Wapogoro and the Wandamba live.

In Udzungwa National Park the forest resources provide areas of traditional local cultural importance to the communities around, where the / spiritual healers, herbalists (specialist traditional healers) in Swahili known as waganga wa jadi are allowed to collect medicinal herbs which they use for treatment of misfortunes, spiritual diseases, mental disorders, common sicknesses, etc. About 160 plants are known to be used by traditional healers.
There is a famous traditional healer, Magungu, a nick name known as Bibi Kalembwana, based close to the Kiberege village and he inherited his traditional healing skills from the late Bibi Kalembwana, who was her grand-mother.
Many taboos and beliefs of the local people adjacent to the park in East refer to a certain God inhabiting the Mountain called Bokela. Bokela is a peak adjacent to the Park Head Quarter, and according to the adjacent people they respect the Mountain through cultural prohibitions. In previous times, when disasters like a hunger, drought or when crops failed, they used to go to the peak to pray/ speak with that God, and ask why did they harvest few crops, if anyone contravened taboos they used to ask for amnesty at Bokela. In the old days, it was prohibited to visit Bokela without permission from the senior elders who were responsible there.

Authentic Tanzania encourages all visitors to Udzungwa Mountains to support the projects of Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre (UEMC) and directly contribute to conservation awareness in the surrounding areas.

UDZUNGWA MOUNTAINS PHOTO GALLERY

Sanje Waterfalls Trail

MWANIHANA TRAIL GALLERY