The Eastern Arc is a crescent-shaped chain of cool moist mountain islands that begins in the very southern tip of Kenya and continues down through Tanzania. Scientists call it the “Galapagos of Africa” for its high concentration of endemic species found nowhere else in the world.
Ancient Forests
These relic forests – thought to have survived for 100 million years – are under intense human pressure from illegal logging, uncontrolled fires, and the spread of agriculture land.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide, the primary gas causing climate change, and release oxygen. Tropical forests are like big sponges, if cleared, there are less trees to soak up the carbon dioxide.
Burning and clear-cutting forests only accelerates the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Only 30% of the ancient trees in the coastal and mountain rainforests of Tanzania remain standing, due to clearing from farming and logging.
It is the people living in developing countries, like Tanzania, who will suffer the most from climate change. Without increased efforts from the ARC and its partners on the ground, climate change will continue to devastate communities in the Eastern Arc Mountains and around the globe.
