Environmental Conservation, 2011; 39 (1): 62-71
Conversion of forest to other land uses is a major
contributor to climate change. The coastal forests of
Tanzania have increasingly been recognized as being
of global biodiversity importance, due to high rates of
species endemism. Rates of forest loss are similar to
those of other tropical regions, resulting in increasing
levels of threat for the biological values within the
remaining forest and potentially significant source of
CO 2 emissions. This study estimated the remaining
cover and carbon stock of Tanzania’s coastal forests
and the CO 2 emissions due to forest loss between
c. 1990 and c. 2007. Coastal Tanzania contained over
273 700 ha of forest in 2007. Deforestation rates in the
area have slowed from 1.0 % yr −1 , or > 3735 ha yr −1
during the 1990s, to 0.4 % yr −1 , or > 1233 ha yr −1
during 2000–2007. Despite lower deforestation rates
in 2000–2007, the percentage forest lost from within
reserved areas has remained steady at 0.2 % yr −1 for
both time periods. CO 2 emissions from deforestation
slowed from at least 0.63 Mt CO 2 yr −1 in 1990–2000
to at least 0.20 Mt CO 2 yr −1 in 2000–2007. Regional
forest clearance in Tanzania is highly dynamic; while
rates have slowed since 2000, forest habitat conversion
has continued and there is no guarantee that future
rates will remain low. A rigorous policy on reducing
emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD)
should be implemented to avoid future increases in
deforestation rates.