Saintpaulia Conservation Project in Tanzania

Saintpaulia confusa in the Amani Nature Reserve.

The Finnish Saintpaulia Society launched a pilot project in 2003 with an overall goal to conserve the African violet species in Tanga Region, Tanzania. The specific objectives of the first project phase were:

• mapping the distribution of Saintpaulia species
• assessing the suitability of Saintpaulia localities for ecotourism
• preliminary assessment of the conservation status of Saintpaulia in Tanga Region
• collecting samples for the analysis of population genetic variation
• drawing local, national and international attention on the conservation of Saintpaulia

The partner institutions in the project were the University of Helsinki Botanical Garden in Finland, and Tanga Catchment Forest Office and Amani Nature Reserve in Tanzania. The project was funded by the Rufford Foundation, the African Violet Society of America, the Swedish Saintpaulia Society and the Cincinnati Botanical Garden.

Field work was conducted by an international team in August, September and December in 2003 and in January 2004. About sixty Saintpaulia localities, representing about ten species, were located. Most of the sites were found in the forests of the East Usambara Mountains where the plants looked healthy and formed large colonies. Saintpaulias are not in a specific danger in the East Usambara Mountains, where majority of the forest is under protection. In the mountains there are plenty of suitable habitats for Saintpaulia and the genus is even locally abundant. However, the populations situated at forest edges are threatened by forest fires and decrease of humidity and shade. The gold rush has also affected some of the Saintpaulia localities.

Practicing field methods.

Wilted Saintpaulia ionantha in the Mkulumizi river valley.

In the lowlands the situation is completely different. Suitable habitats for Saintpaulia are extremely few because only small fragments of forest habitat remain and very few of them are protected. The plants suffer from drought and suitable sites for seedling establishment are few. Several threats to the Saintpaulia habitats were identified, such as pole and tree cutting, forest fires, grazing, and expansion of cultivations.

At the moment, the Amani Nature Reserve and its surroundings is the best area to see African violets in the wild because of the existing visitor facilities and because there are several accessible localities comprising different species. In the lowlands the greatest potential for African violet and other nature safaris is in the Mkulumuzi River valley.

For conservation efforts to be successful, a multidiciplinary approach with both biological and socio-economical aspects is needed. Biological conservation will include in situ (on the site) measures such as restoration of the habitats and management of the populations and ex situ conservation in gene banks. Development of education and livelihoods of the local communities will be needed to reduce pressure on the Saintpaulia habitats. This would include empowerment of the communities to more diversified income generating activities. For example, there is a high potential for development of tourism related jobs in Tanga Region. Moreover, improvement of agriculture is needed to produce more food on the existing field area. These efforts would be successful only through collaboration between local communities, government authorities, scientists, private enterprises, and other stakeholders working in the area.

Mkulumuzi river, Tanga