West Usambara

Capacity development programme to save dwindling freshwater resources to communities in the Eastern Arc’s West Usambara Mountains villages of Mnadani and Malindi, Lushoto, Tanzania.

Freshwater resources for community and livelihood activities in the West Usambara Mountains areas are declining and disappearing at an alarming rate. With the spiralling nature of climate change and unsustainable human activities, the environment and livelihoods of the community have been seriously affected. The low levels of awareness, destruction of catchment areas and stream flows are all behind the increasing freshwater shortages for human and livelihood activities in West Usambara Mountain areas. The initial project involved awareness creation and preparation of a community based plan for protection, conservation and restoration of freshwater sources and catchment areas as localizing the national strategy for urgent actions on land degradation and water catchments of 2006 developed by the Vice President’s Office. The community based freshwater conservation plan draws technical expertise from Pamoja Environmental Focus, Lushoto District Council and the National Environment Management Council under the Vice Presidents Office. The activity was funded by WWF-US Russell E. Train Education for Nature Program..

The West Usambara Mountains Freshwater Sources Conservation initiative involves:-

• awareness on environmental threats and negative effects of farming close to river banks and rivulets including drying of rivers to become seasonal.
• Encourage use and enforcement of by-laws by keeping to agreed distance while farming close to river banks
• removal of exotic trees that are harmful to water sources
• promote indigenous tree planting in catchment areas and along river banks
• formation/establishment of freshwater sources management committees at hamlet/sub-village level including capacity development in natural resources governance
• use of flash message and community radio and TVs