Marc Baker Safaris

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  • 7.1: Publications
  • 7.2: Baker 2008
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  • 7.4: Baker 2005-1
  • 7.5: Baker 2005-2
  • 7.6: Baker 2004
  • 7.7: Baker 2002-1
  • 7.8: Baker 2002-2
  • 7.9: Baker 2001-1
  • 7.10: Baker 2001-2
  • 7.11: Baker 2000

Baker 2001-1

A Survey of the Avifauna of Chome Forest Reserve, South Pare Mountains, North-East Tanzania. UNDP/GEF/FAO, Arusha Tanzania.

Chome Forest Reserve, the largest forest block in the South Pare mountains, is situated between the North Pare mountains and the West Usambara mountains in north-eastern Tanzania at 4º10’ – 4º25’South, 37º 53’ – 38º East. The forest reserve covers an area of 14,213 hectares of various forest types and montane grassland from an altitude of 1,250m to Shengena peak at an altitude of 2,462m.

The UNDP / GEF Crossborder Biodiversity Project aims to reduce biodiversity loss at specific crossborder sites in East Africa where it concentrates on forest reserves within three districts in Tanzania, each chosen for their specific forest ecosystems.

In order to make an accurate assessment of the avifauna, a number of techniques were employed. Observations were carried out in different areas within the forest habitat, as well as in the surrounding woodland and grassland. Species were identified by sight and by call. Mist netting allowed for the sampling of less conspicuous species which inhabit the ground and shrub layer. Point counts with a 20 metre fixed radius were carried out over three areas within the forest reserve, allowing a census of the different forest types.

Four surveys of Chome Forest Reserve, were made between November 1999 and March 2001, giving a total of 25,860 net metre hours (nmh) at three ringing sites (Saseni, Kanza and Shengena). In total, 188 birds were ringed, representing 24 different species.

During these surveys, ninety four species have been recorded in Chome Forest Reserve, of these 20 were forest dependant generalists (f), 29 forest dependant specialists (ff), 4 species associated with grassland (g), 1 species associated with woodland (Lead-coloured Flycatcher) (wd), 7 palearctic migrants (p) of non-forest habitats and 31 widespread (w) species. A total of 72 fixed radius point counts were carried out in three main areas of the forest. The results indicate that while there are some species that were present in all of the forest types within the forest reserve, there are some which seemed to prefer the lower sub-montane forest on the eastern side of the reserve.

The results of a statistical comparison of the similarity of the forest specialist avifauna (ff) known to occur on the geographically ‘close’ montane forests of Kilimanjaro, Taita Hills, West Usambaras and North Pares, indicated that the South Pares were more similar to the W. Usambaras, whilst the North Pare mountains were more closely linked to Kilimanjaro and the avifauna typical of the central east African Highlands. The Taita hills showed their highest similarity to the South Pare mountains and not to Kilimanjaro or the North Pares.

Chome Forest Reserve qualifies as one of Tanzania’s important bird areas due to the presence of two species. South Pare White-eye, endemic to the South Pare Mountains and listed as vulnerable. The second species of importance is Hunter’s Cisticola (restricted range species, Endemic bird area 109). In addition to these species of global importance, the habitats within Chome Forest Reserve support 12 species of regional importance as defined by Bennun et al (1996).

The most significant threat to Chome Forest Reserve as a viable conservation and water catchment area, is the persistent and large scale logging of mainly Octotea usambarensis (Camphor). As in other forest reserves, paths created in the process of removing planks from pit-fall sites, are then used by hunters and trappers for access into previously inaccessible areas of forest. Other threats to biodiversity in Chome are poaching, which includes the hunting of duiker’s, Black and White Colobus monkey and Bush Pig. In a recent threat reduction assessment (TRA) of Chome Forest Reserve (Baker et al, 2001 internal report) it became clear that the level and intensity of threats to this ecosystem is relatively unknown. It is recommended that the biodiversity project uses its available resources to survey, document and rank these threats in order to form a realistic idea of priorities and intensities of threats that can be used to form an action plan to tackle them.