Reforestation in grassland areas of Uchindile, Kilombero, Tanzania & Mapanda, Mufindi, Tanzania

Transcription

1 Reforestation in grassland areas of Uchindile, Kilombero, Tanzania & Mapanda, Mufindi, Tanzania Biodiversity Monitoring Results 2 nd September 2012 to 31 st December th August 2014 Version 1 1

2 Document overview Green Resources has developed a biodiversity monitoring plan to monitor and assess the impacts, both positive and negative, of its "Reforestation In Grassland Areas Of Uchindile, Kilombero, Tanzania & Mapanda, Mufindi, Tanzania" project in terms of biodiversity. This monitoring plan is presented as part of the verification process under the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA), but also builds on current monitoring systems Green Resources has in place for other monitoring commitments, such as for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Since the development of such a comprehensive monitoring plan was elaborated after project start it has meant that some of the monitoring parameters have not been monitored from the beginning of the project - this is explained in more detail further in the monitoring plan. However, all parameters will be monitored through subsequent monitoring periods. This is the second CCBA verification event for the project and uses the Biodiversity Monitoring Plan, version 1.2. As the project develops and undergoes future verifications, the monitoring plan will be adapted to ensure that any new impacts and/ or required indicators are monitored. 2

3 Table of contents A. General data... 4 B. Remote sensing analysis of conservation areas... 7 C. Field assessments of conservation areas D. Invasive species

4 A. General data At this monitoring stage the areas of the different land classes are as shown below. Data Unit / Parameter: Data unit: Description: Source of data: Area of stratum ha Area of each stratum identified within the project Remote sensing Date of satellite imagery Uchindile Mapanda December 2005 (Quick-bird) and August 2010 (GeoEye) August 2009 (GeoEye) Description of measurement methods and procedures to be applied: Frequency of monitoring/recording: A combination of remote sensing and ground truthing is used to determine area of each stratum. At each verification Value monitored: Uchindile strata Pine forest plantation Eucalyptus forest plantation Trial plantations (native and nonnative species) Areas to be planted Grassland Riverine forest Valley bottoms Water bodies Gullies Fire belt Total % of total area planted with Pine and Euc Area (Ha) ,076 ha 47% Mapanda strata Pine forest plantation Eucalyptus forest plantation Areas to be planted Grassland Area (Ha)

5 Monitoring equipment: QA/QC procedures to be applied: Calculation method: Riverine forest Valley bottoms Water bodies Gullies Fire belt Total* % of total area planted with Pine and Euc G PS N/A N/A 49 % ,258 ha Any comment: Image available is from beginning of wet season. Figure A.1. Land use map of Uchindile Forest Project 5

6 Figure A.2. Land use map of Mapanda Forest Project 6

7 B. Remote sensing analysis of conservation areas The conservation areas at Uchindile and Mapanda related to biodiversity 1 are as follows: - Blue swallow grassland - Riverine forest - Water bodies The following are summaries of each of the conservation areas following the Biodiversity Monitoring Plan. Blue swallow grassland GRL has demarcated and maintained conservation areas specifically for the blue swallow as shown in figures B.1 and B.2 below. The conservation areas have been kept to their original conditions. Figure B.1. Blue swallow grassland areas at Uchindile Forest Project 1 Graves and ritual sites are also conserved but are covered in the community monitoring plans 7

8 Figure B.2. Blue swallow grassland areas at Mapanda Forest Project Through the remote sensing analysis it has been confirmed that the grassland land class of the blue swallow conservation area has been maintained in this monitoring period. The results of the remote sensing analysis are shown below in Table B.1. Data Unit / Parameter: Area of grassland Data unit: % 8

9 Description: Source of data: Area of each grassland Remote sensing Date of satellite imagery Uchindile Mapanda September 2013(Google earth) September 2013 (Google earth) Description of measurement methods and procedures to be applied: Frequency of monitoring/recording: Value monitored: Visual inspection of the high resolution image to confirm the area of grassland and identify possible disturbances. At each verification Uchindile 440ha Mapanda 731 ha (See table B.1. below for details) Monitoring equipment: QA/QC procedures to be applied: Calculation method: Any comment: N/A N/A N/A Image available is from beginning of wet season. Table B.1. Blue swallow grassland areas Plantation Area of Uchindile Mapanda conser2vation area, ha Grassland Riverine Grassland Riverine Grassland Riverine Grassland Note: Due to the existence of some riverine vegetation interspersed within the grassland areas, the total area Riverine of blue swallow grassland is presented along with its subdivisions into grassland and riverine areas See shapefile: "tz_ufp_blueswallow_grassland" and "tz_mfp_blueswallow_grassland" Verifiable through comparison of shapefiles with high resolution images "Grassland" is the grassland area of the conservation area that is to be managed as a grassland - some grassland areas are found within the riverine stratum, but these are expected to revert to riverine forest and as such will not be managed to maintain a grassland cover. 9

10 Riverine forest Figure B.6 and B.7 below show the riverine forest areas that have been identified and demarcated at Uchindile and Mapanda, respectively, along with the 13 sample plots that were generated in GIS to assess the crown cover of the riverine forest areas. The results of the Uchindile crown cover analysis show that in the tree year period between 2010 and 2013 there has been an increase in crown cover of 11% and an overall 19% increase in crown cover since the start of monitoring (2005). Thus, contributing to positive biodiversity benefits. For Mapanda crown cover analysis it was only possible to compare 3 points which show that in the 4 year period between 2009 and 2013 no changes occurred to the crown cover in the riverine stratum. Furthermore, to complement this analysis a Landsat image was used to confirm no changes in the area of riverine forest. Figure B.6. Riverine forest sample plots at Uchindile Forest Plantation 10

11 Figure B.7. Riverine forest sample plots at Mapanda Forest Plantation 11

12 Figure B.8. Example of riverine forest crown cover assessment between monitoring periods; the black line is the boundary of the 20 ha plot, the yellow is the boundary of the riverine forest stratum boundary and the red is the crown cover delineation. Data Unit / Parameter: Crown cover Data unit: % Description: Tree crown cover within the riverine forest areas Source of data: Remote sensing Date of satellite imagery Uchindile Mapanda September 2013 ( Google earth) September 2013 (Google earth) Description of measurement methods and procedures to be applied: 20 ha circular sample plots were randomly selected to cover at least 5% of riverine forest and within that the tree crown cover is estimated. This allows to compare crown cover over monitoring periods and thus asses increases/decreases in the forest cover in this stratum. Frequency of monitoring/recording: At each verification Value monitored: % Uchindile

13 Monitoring equipment: QA/QC procedures to be applied: Calculation method: Any comment: Mapanda N/A N/A N/A Image available is from beginning of wet season. Further details of the crown cover assessment are found in annex 1. Water bodies There are 5 water bodies (lakes) found at Uchindile, which are shown in the CCBA PDD. Mapanda does not have any water bodies other than streams; therefore this analysis is carried out for Uchindile only. Similarly to the blue swallow conservation area, water bodies are assessed at each monitoring event, or earlier if a high resolution image is available prior to this. Data Unit / Parameter: Data unit: Description: Source of data: Area of water body ha Area of each lake in the project Remote sensing Date of satellite imagery Uchindile September 2013 Description of measurement methods and procedures to be applied: Visual inspection and delineation of the high resolution image (of dry season) to confirm the area of water body. Frequency of At each verification monitoring/recording: Value monitored: Monitoring equipment: QA/QC procedures to be applied: Calculation method: Any comment: See table B.2 below N/A N/A N/A Image available is from beginning of wet season. Table B.2. below shows the changes from the previous monitoring period. The results of 2005 are also included, as it was found at this monitoring event that the areas of lakes 1 and 5 hadn't been digitized correctly. Therefore the data now presented corrects the data presented in the first verification. Furthermore, this allows for a better analysis of the project's impact during its implementation. 13

14 The change in the area is presented between 2005 and 2010 and between 2010 and 2013.The results show that there have been no significant changes in area of water bodies between 2005 and Table B.2. Analysis of the changes in the areas of water bodies in Uchindile 2005, Lake Lake code wet 2010, dry Change 2013, dry/wet Change 1 LAKE LAKE LAKE LAKE LAKE C. Field assessments of conservation areas Blue swallow grassland Not applicable in this monitoring event. Riverine forest Not applicable in this monitoring event. Water bodies Water quality The samples collected were analysed at the laboratory of Rufiji water office in Iringa. The results from the sampling have shown that there are no direct negative impacts from the project. Below is a summary of results of the last two water quality assessments of dry and wet season 2013 (full information can be found in GRL Activities Monitoring Results for 2013): o All water samples were found to range from acidic to alkaline with the ph between 5.34 and 7.46 which are within the allowable limit. This range of ph is within the range of stipulated for drinking and domestic purposes (WHO, 1993). o Water analysis indicated that the level of transparency was greater than 90% during dry season. The sediments level for all water sources within the forest projects found to be less than 0.1 ml/l. o All water samples found to be fresh water with total dissolved solid less than 500mg/l for the dry and wet seasons. o There were low levels of nutrient species such as NH 3, NO 3, NO 2 and orthophosphate which signifies an absence of contamination from fertilizers, sewage and decayed matters. o The amount of dissolved oxygen were found to be below 10mg/l in all water sources which meets the requirements for both domestic uses as well as supporting aquatic life in water. 14

15 o Faecal coli form was found in almost all samples ranging from 0-54 count/100ml with Mkungwe upper river having 0 counts in both seasons and Igomaenze and Mkungwe down river having 0 counts in wet season. Overall counts in Mapanda are lower than in Uchindile. The only result which was found to be outside of the acceptable range set by the WHO (0 counts/ 100ml for drinking water) was the level of faecal coliform. Such bacteria have been monitored at the project since 2010 and although the levels are all greater than the WHO limit, this is not necessarily related to the project. From these findings it has been recommended that, since the parameters tested for indicated to be within the allowable standard limits for water to be used for several purposes hence the optimal management should be maintained. Furthermore, the results show that with the exception of the bacterial tests, there has been no contamination of the water sources caused by project activities. As mentioned in the previous monitoring event it was not possible to determine the cause for faecal coli form levels in these rivers though it is assumed it may be due to agriculture activities around the project areas as well as in part resulting from project operations. Furthermore, since the bacterial tests show that the water is contaminated with faecal coli forms and as such it's not suitable for human consumption, GRL will continue to build awareness among its workers and the communities surrounding the project to take appropriate measures like boiling water before it is used for drinking. 15

16 Figure C.1. Uchindile water sampling points 16

17 Figure C.2. Mapanda water sampling points Water Quantity 17

18 Monitoring water quantity is essential in the plantation to see effects of exotic tree planting on water resources. It is from this point of view that permanent water gauging stations were installed on each river flowing across Uchindile and Mapanda forest plantations. Therefore, water quantity monitoring at GRL involves recording water levels and measuring water flow and volumes on the rivers. While the last two are done once in a year, the water level measurement is a daily activity. Readings are taken twice a day, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon/evening. The readings are then summed up to make monthly reports that are compiled into annual water monitoring reports. One person is chosen at the project site to undertake this exercise. On the other hand water flow and volume monitoring is done through an external agent the Rufiji Basin Water Office staffs that are stationed in Iringa. This team uses current meters and other tools to measure water flow, gauge height, size of the place where water flow measurements are conducted. Several measurements are normally taken and then averaged. All this information is presented in GRL activities reports and a summary of main findings will be addressed in this monitoring report. Figure C.3 and C.4: Water resource monitoring include measuring the flow/volume of water; Water gauges have been installed on all rivers flowing in the plantation for monitoring depth of rivers. Water quantity monitoring has been done in all the four rivers that flow across the Uchindile plantation: Kihata, Mgelela, Mpombochi and Selasini. Water level started in 2003 for Kihata and 2006 for the other rivers, while gauging stations for flow measurements were only installed in

19 Water level Water level Uchindile water levels in 2013 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Kihata Selasini Mpombochi Mgelela Figure C.5. Water level monthly records in Uchindile rivers (2013) The water levels in Selasini, Mpombochi and Kihata rivers were generally higher throughout the year than Mgelela which can be explained as those rivers are near the Mufindi Escarpment where there is more rain than in other places in this area. Uchindile water level trends kihata Selasini Mpombochi Mgelela Figure C.6. Trend in water level since the start of monitoring (2003) in Uchindile rivers Looking at the data presented in figure C.6 and C.9 it seems overall these rivers were unaffected by project activities. Selasini water level drop in 2010 and 2011 can be related to exposure of its source due to harvesting of existing crop as well as to a lower precipitation in 2011 (although rainfall data for 2011 cannot be relied upon, as explained below, there was a slight decrease in precipitation during 2011). 19

20 Water level Water level Water levels and discharge measurements in Mapanda started in 2008 after installation of the gauging stations on four rivers in The rivers installed with gauging stations are Mwenga, Mkungwe, Mvino and Kiverege. Water level measurement has been done since then. The water levels follow the expected pattern (figure C.7), river Mwenga has the highest water level as several rivers flow into Mwenga including Mkungwe and Mvino. River Kiverege flows into Mkungwe Mapanda water levels in 2013 Mwenga Mkungwe Mvino Kiverege Figure C.7. Water level monthly records in Uchindile rivers (2013) Looking at the data in figure C.8 it seems that the project hasn't impacted water levels negatively; however water quantity has to be analysed for a longer period to have a better understanding of the trends and possible impact of the project. GRL will continue to monitor this trends closely. 1.2 Mapanda water trends Mwenga Mkungwe Mvino Kiverege Figure C.8. Trend in water level since the start of monitoring (2008) in Mapanda rivers 20

21 In addition, climate data is collected from weather stations at each plantation to better understand the impacts forest plantations might have on water quantity. Two parameters, temperature and rainfall have been monitored in this monitoring period. Weather is recorded starting in November of one year until October of the next year. In Uchindile a weather station was installed in Fire Tower No. 1 and data collection started in April However in 2011 there were some problems with the weather station and as such rainfall is underestimated for that year. In Mapanda the weather station was installed in February 2008; however frequent equipment breakdowns have led to incomplete data, specially for rainfall through to Weather data in 2012 and 2013 seems to be improving and more reliable (figure C.10) Uchindile weather data Rainfall (mm) Temperature oc Figure C.9: Climate trends at Uchindile Forest Plantations ( ) Source: GRL Activities Monitoring Report, 2013 Figure C.9 shows that mean temperature has been fluctuating slightly around 17 degrees and has increased in the last six years reaching a maximum of 19.6 in Rainfall has also been fluctuating during this period with 2003 and 2006 registering the lowest rainfall, and mm, respectively and 1999 (EIA) and 2008 registering the highest, 1600 and mm, respectively. 21

22 Mapanda weather data Rainfall(mm) Temperature oc Figure C.9: Climate trends at Uchindile Forest Plantations ( ) Source: GRL Activities Monitoring Report, 2013 Temperature recorded at Mapanda station has been fluctuating around 17 degrees with 2013 registering the highest temperature, D. Invasive species Not applicable in this monitoring event. However as mentioned in the monitoring plan, monitoring of invasive species is ongoing in the plantations through plantation workers and fire crew as part of their daily activities and any observation is reported to management. 22

23 Annex 1 - Crown cover analysis Table A.1.1. Uchindile crown cover comparison between 2005 and Change in Riverine Crown Crown Crown Crown Crown Plot Forest, ha Crown Crown Cover, Cover Cover, Cover Cover, % Cover, ha Cover % ha % ha % Total % % Table A.1.2. Mapanda crown cover comparison between 2009 and 2013 Plot Total Change in Riverrine Crown Forest, ha Crown Cover, Crown Cover Crown Cover, Crown Cover, Cover, % 2.09 ha % ha %