Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
plant species a chance to develop, and today these mountains are highly biodi-
verse and home to an exceptional assortment of plants and birds. Plant and bird
numbers in the mountain ranges total about one-third of Tanzania's flora and
fauna species, and include many unique species plus a wealth of medicinal
plants.
In the late 19th century, population growth and expansion of the local logging
industry began to cause depletion of the Eastern Arc's original forest cover, and
erosion became a serious problem. It became so bad in parts of the western
Usambaras that in the early 1990s entire villages had to be shifted to lower
areas. It has now somewhat stabilised, with a reduction in logging and the initi-
ation of several tree planting projects. However, it remains a serious problem.
