Africa-Press – Tanzania. EVICTION of persons who encroached Mkingu Nature Forest Reserve (MNFR) to plant crops has started in Gonja village.
The reserve that is on the Eastern Arc Mountains Conservation and source of rain and water is facing a huge challenge in conservation.
The ‘Daily News’ witnessed some staff of the reserve destroying crops on some peaks of the mountains, including cardamom, banana and bhang.
People from the 26 villages surrounding the nature reserve have illegally planted crops on ten hectares of the reserve land, and by Monday, crops on four hectares of the reserve had been destroyed.
MNFR Chief Conservator, Mr Hamisi Ghaji said during a tour of the area on Monday evening that encroachment has been a huge challenge, attributing it to having a few staff members.
With more than 26,000 hectares in Mvomero District, MNFR has six staff members only, therefore for them to conduct proper patrols they have to close the office.
Mr Ghaji said that the patrols, putting beacons on the reserve borders and supporting members of the surrounding villages has been made possible by the Eastern Arc Mountains Conservation Endowment Fund (EAMCEF).
The MNRF that is under Tanzania Forests Services (TFS), upon arrest of encroachers, arraigns them in court and some are imprisoned while others pay fines and walk free.
During the Monday patrol, a man who was identified as Bosco was arrested as he was cutting trees near the place where cardamom was destroyed.
Mr Ghaji said the geographical location and its physical features make it difficult to patrol and control the whole forest, but thanked EAMCEF for its support for the past six years.
He noted that this financial year MNRF has put a special emphasis on patrols and elimination of invasive weeds as well as crops that are planted in the reserve.
He called on the public to make sure they conserve the environment so that the next generation inherits thick forests that attract rains.
EAMCEF Project Officer, Ms Rosemary Boniface said her office wants to see increasing efforts in conservation, saying one way of doing that is supporting TFS in curbing encroachment.
