Flamingo Land Resort’s conservation project, the Udzungwa Forest Project (UFP) is carrying out groundbreaking research into forest restoration techniques in the tropical Magombera forest. Like most of Tanzania’s forests, Magombera suffers continued degradation from having an unsustainable amount of its natural resources removed by people in surrounding villages.

Magombera forest is important both to the surrounding villages and wildlife, as it acts as a climate stabiliser and provides much-needed habitat for rare species. There are currently ten villages known to be using the forest for its natural resources, principally fuel and building materials, over time leading to a reduction in size and quality.

Little is known about how to restore tropical forests, despite it being a serious worldwide problem. UFP has been monitoring the effect of clearing restrictive climber species from the forest floor on tree growth. This has shown growth to be greatest in areas where climber species have been removed.

Although Flamingo Land Resort is only in the early stages of its research, so far the results are encouraging. If, after further data collection and analysis, climber species removal is found to be effective at restoring forest health, the research could help forest managers restore forests all across Tanzania. On a larger scale, there is also potential for the research to improve forest health across Eastern Africa.

As our researchers continue their study, we’ll be sure to keep you updated with all the latest developments!

If you’d like to find out more about Flamingo Land Resort’s Udzungwa Forest Project and see how you can help, you’ll find further details in the Zoo & Conservation section of this website.