Following up on a meeting with the Sheha of Uwandani, Mbarouk, Estelle, and I visited the community recently. Mbarouk has been working to educate the community members on seedling propagation for some time now, and their experience growing Casuarina from seed is evident in their verdant nursery. When we arrived a group was cleaning and planting mango seeds to use as rootstock for grafting, indicating that the community is more than ready to experiment with other tree species as well. This is exciting for Estelle and I as we have identified several multipurpose indigenous species that if planted will greatly increase the diversity and yield of community planting sites on Pemba. We hope Uwandani will be a leading community in this regard.
Uwandani Community Nursery
Preparing mango seeds for planting
The Sheha of Uwandani has indicated that a priority for the community now is to have their land surveyed and officially designated for community management. Land tenure is a growing concern on Pemba as the island is becoming more attractive to developers and the pressures of unsustainable resource use and climate change are increasing. Community members expressed specific concerns about hotel development, probably a response to what they have observed on Zanzibar Island in recent years.
Uwandani Community Planting Site
Baobab on Community Planting Site
There is also the existing practice of ‘White Block’ mining, which is the extraction of limestone from open-pit mines for building materials. This is occurring at the outskirts of the community, in the same region selected for tree-planting, and is seen by community leaders as a necessary but unsustainable economic activity. Uwandani is hopeful that community forestry can provide a sustainable alternative to ‘White Block’ mining as well as land security.
'White Block' Mine
Undermined Baobab
