In Tanzania, forests, woodlands and trees provide a multitude of benefits and their protection needs to be part of the new constitution being formulated for the country.

In an article in the Daily News, Dr Felician Kilahama Chairman of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Committee on Forestry outlines how forests and trees protect against wind and water erosion, increase soil fertility and provide natural sources of food and medicine.

Forests and trees store carbon dioxide, and mechanisms for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) being developed through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) aim to enhance sustainable forest management and provide for carbon markets that can benefit communities who plant trees and/or conserve forests and woodlands.

National policies and decision-making machinery in the country do not properly recognize how forests and woodlands are the ‘lungs’ of the nation, says Kilahama. Forestry is not given the same attention as sectors such as water, agriculture, health, education, energy or infrastructure.

Kilahama says it is time to give priority to conservation of forests and wildlife resources for the wellbeing of the nation and sustainable economic growth. He recommends the country’s new constitution stipulate that 40 per cent of land be reserved for the protection of key forests and wildlife areas. These areas need to be preserveded in perpetuity for the benefit of Tanzanians and for their potential to provide genetic material for future research and industrial and medical requirements.

Read the full story: Tanzania: Environmental Conservation Is Nation's Lifeline