After participating in a Community Forests Pemba led mangrove planting initiative, members of Shumba-Vyamboni’s Mazingera (Enviroment) Co-op Society expressed interest in planting trees. The community first began planting trees in 1991, and had realized the benefits that planted trees and the protection of their natural forests had on the integrity of the natural resources surrounding their community. Abdul, cofounder of the Mazingera Co-op Society, claims that the preservation of indigenous trees in their community is the key to their development. “Our children must grow to remember these trees, these trees must remain for their future, they must know the names of the plants of our natural forests by watching them grow – it is our responsibility to make sure that these trees remain for the lives of our children”.

In 2008 Shumba-Vyamboni built a nursery through funds raised by tree planters in Canada, allowing for the purchase of seedlings bags, seeds, watering cans and netting. The community’s efforts resulted in one of the season’s most prominent nurseries, housing over 32,000 seedlings. The nursery was so successful, that a thousand of their trees were donated to Fundo Islet, whom had difficulty in growing their own seedlings. In April, of 2009 the seedlings were planted near the trees planted in 1991, linking planted forest to a natural forest ecosystem west of the village. By extending the forestland through planted trees, the community is supporting wildlife dependant on natural forest habitat while protecting the natural forest, where it is illegal to collect firewood or harvest timber.

This season, members of the Mazingera Co-op society biked over 20kms to the Community Forests Pemba office in Wete, Pemba in order to secure more seedling bags for their 2009-2010 planting season. Inspired by their neighbors, the communities of Shumba-Mjini and Kwale decided to try their hands at tree growing, with community owned nurseries built in the fall of 2009.

The total population of this rural shehia (a shehia is made up of 3-4 village units) is 4,508 (2,168 male and 2,340 female) with an average age of 15.3.