8 Billion Trees

Planting Project: Tanzania

Loss of biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, broken water cycles, wide scale soil erosion, and disappearing livelihoods are just some of the effects deforestation is having in Tanzania. As a less-developed country with high population growth and extreme poverty, the effects of deforestation are even graver in Tanzania.

Almost 40% on Tanzania is covered with forests, with half of this area subject to excessive and irresponsible deforestation.

In addition to providing economic stability for those native to Tanzania, the forests there provide habitat to a wide range of species—both animal and plant.

Of these species, over 6% are under threat of extinction. And the fact that many of these species are along endemic to this area makes the issue even more pressing—once they are extinct, they are gone for good.

Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that there are countless species in this area left to be discovered. This comes from recent research findings that have discovered many new species in other tropical forests.

The country of Tanzania is facing extremely severe deforestation. Over the past 30 years, Tanzania has lost more than 20% of its native woodlands and forests. And during 2014, the country’s Division of Environment released a report confirming the country had lost almost 40% of its forest cover.

That was in 2014. Things have gotten even worse.

While the government is doing what it can to protect some of the nation’s forests, over half of all trees are still located outside of protected areas.

The Eastern Arc Mountains located in Tanzania run across the country from the northeast to the southwest. In just 5 years from 2000 to 2005 the mountains lost almost 50% of their forests—releasing 90 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere.

If the trend continues, it is estimated that all remaining forests from the area will be depleted, releasing 152 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere.

The Usambara Mountains make up the easternmost part of the Eastern Arc Mountain chain. It is here that we are focused on planting trees to halt deforestation and the terrible effects it is having on the Earth and endemic species.

We are currently working to support two partners for our tree planting project in Tanzania:

By inspiring and hiring local farmers and spreading awareness through local schools and education centers, thousands of trees are able to be planted in one of the Earth’s most diverse hotspots.