Abstract
Natural flora, vegetation, diversity and structure of 62 traditional coffee-banana plantations on Kilimanjaro were investigated and compared with the other vegetation formations on this volcano on basis of over 1400 plots following the method of Braun-Blanquet. The vegetation of the so-called Chagga homegardens belongs floristically to the formation of ruderal vegetation forming two main communities that are determined by altitude. These coffee-banana plantations maintain a high biodiversity with about 520 vascular plant species including over 400 non-cultivated plants. Most species (194) occurring in the Chagga homegardens are forest species, followed by 128 ruderal species, including 41 neophytes. Typical of the agroforestry system of the Chagga homegardens is their multilayered vegetation structure similar to a tropical montane forest with trees, shrubs, lianas, epiphytes and herbs. Beside relicts of the former forest cover, which lost most of their former habitats, there are on the other hand (apophytic) forest species, which were directly or indirectly favoured by the land use of the Chagga people. High demand of wood, the introduction of coffee varieties that are sun-tolerant and low coffee prizes on the world marked endanger this effective and sustainable system.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Beentje H.J. 1994. Kenya Trees, Shrubs and Lianas. National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi.
Braun-Blanquet J. 1964. Pflanzensoziologie. Springer, Wien.
Brewin D.R. 1965. Kilimanjaro agriculture. Tanganyika Notes Records 64: 115–117.
Clemm V.M. 1963. Agricultural productivity and sentiment on Kilimanjaro. Econ. Bot. 18: 99–121.
Downie C. and Wilkinson P. 1972. The Geology of Kilimanjaro. University of Sheffield.
FAO 1986. Rehabilitation of traditional schemes (Phase I), Tanzania AG: TCP/URT/4522, Mission Report, Rome.
Fernandes E.C.M., Okting’ati A. and Maghembe J. 1984. The Chagga homegardens: a multistoried agroforestry cropping system on Mt. Kilimanjaro (Northern Tanzania). Agroforest. Syst. 2: 73–86.
Fjeldså J., Ehrlich D., Lambin E. and Prins E. 1997. Are biodiversity ‘hotspots’ correlated with current ecoclimatic stability? A pilot study using the NOAA-AVHRR remote sensing data. Biodivers. Conserv. 6: 401–422.
FTEA 1952–2003. Flora of Tropical East Africa. Royal Botanic Garden, Kew.
Hammen T.V.D., Mueller-Dombois D. and Little M.A 1989. Manual of Methods for Mountain Transect Studies. IUBS, Paris.
Hemp A. and Winter J.C. 1999. Ergebnisse der ethnobotanischen Forschung am Kilimanjaro. Bayreuther Forum Ökologie 64: 117–144.
Hemp A. 1999. An ethnobotanical study on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Ecotropica 5: 147–165.
Hemp A. 2001a. Ecology of the pteridophytes on the southern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Plant Biol. 3: 493–523.
Hemp A. 2001b. Life form and strategies of forest ferns on Mt. Kilimanjaro. In: Gottsberger G. and Liede S. (eds), Life forms and Dynamics in Tropical Forests. Dissertationes Botanicae 346, pp. 95–130.
Hemp A. 2002. Ecology of the pteridophytes on the southern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Part I: Altitudinal distribution. Plant Ecol. 159: 211–239.
Hemp A. 2003. Climate impacts and responses on Mount Kilimanjaro. In: Agrawala S. and Moehner A. (eds), Development and Climate Change in Tanzania: Focus on Mount Kilimanjaro. OECD, Paris.
Hemp A. in press a. Continuum or zonation? Altitudinal gradients in the forest vegetation of Mt. Kilimanjaro Plant Ecol.
Hemp A. in press b. Ecology and altitudinal zonation of pteridophytes on Mt. Kilimanjaro. In Proceedings of the XVIIth AETFAT Congress 21–26 September 2003.
Hemp A. in press c. The impact of fire on diversity, structure and composition of Mt. Kilimanjaro’s vegetation. In Proceedings of the GMBA Symposium 19–24 August 2002 in Moshi, Tanzania.
Hemp A., Lambrechts C. and Hemp C. (in press). Global Trends in Africa: The Case of Mt. Kilimanjaro. UNEP, Nairobi.
Hemp C. and Hemp A. 2003. Saltatoria coenoses of high-altitude grasslands on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (Orthoptera: Saltatoria). Ecotropica 9: 71–97.
Hemp C. in press. The Chagga home gardens — relict areas for endemic Saltatoria species (Insecta: Orthoptera) on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Biol. Conserv.
Hemp C. 2001. Ethnozoological research on invertebrates on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Ecotropica 7: 139–149.
Kress W.J. 1986. The systematic distribution of vascular epiphytes: an update. Selbyana 9: 2–22.
Lind E.M. and Morrison M.E.S. 1974. East African Vegetation. Longman, London.
Mdoe N. and Wiggins S. 1997. Returns to smallholder dairying in the Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. Agr. Econ. 17: 75–87.
Nair P.K.R. 1993. An introduction to agroforestry. Kluwer, Dordrecht.
National Bureau of Statistics and Central Census Office. 2003. 2002 Population and Housing census. Genaral report. The United Republic of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam.
O’Kting’ati A. and Kessy J.F. 1991. The farming system on Mount Kilimanjaro. In: Newmark W.D. (ed), The Conservation of Mount Kilimanjaro. The IUCN Tropical Forest Programme, pp. 71–80.
O’Kting’ati A., Maghembe J.A., Fernandes E.C.M. and Weaver G.H. 1984. Plant species in the Kilimanjaro agroforestry system. Agroforest. Syst. 2: 177–186.
Ramsay J.C. 1965. Kilimanjaro — sources of water supplies. Tanganyika Notes Records 64: 92–94.
Rikli M. 1903/1904. Die Anthropochoren und der Formenkreis des Nasturtium palustre DC. Berichte der Zürcherischen Botanischen Gesellschaft 8: 71–82.
Rodgers W.A. and Homewood K.M. 1982. Species richness and endemism in the Usambara mountain forests, Tanzania. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 18: 197–242.
Schmidt P.R. 1989. Early exploitation and settlement in the Usambara Mountains. In: Hamilton A.C. and Bensted-Smith R. (eds), Forest Conservation in the East Usambara Mountains Tanzania. The IUCN Tropical Forest Programme, pp.75–78.
Simmonds N.W. 1966. Bananas, 2nd edn. London.
Sukopp H. and Kowarik I. 1987. Der Hopfen (Humulus lupulus L.) als Apophyt der Flora Mitteleuropas. Natur und Landschaft 62: 373–377.
Sukopp H. and Langer A. 1996. Campanula rapunculoides — ein Apophyt in der Vegetation Mitteleuropas. Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft für Ökologie 25: 261–276.
Timberlake L. 1986. Krisenkontinent Afrika. Hammer, Wuppertal.
Volkens G. 1897. Der Kilimandscharo. Darstellung der allgemeineren Ergebnisse eines fünfzehnmonatigen Aufenthalts im Dschaggalande. Reimer, Berlin.
Widenmann A. 1899. Die Kilimandscharo-Bevölkerung. Anthropologisches und Ethnographisches aus dem Dschaggalande. Petermanns geographische Mitteilungen, Ergänzungs-Heft 129, 104 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2006 Springer
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hemp, A. (2006). The banana forests of Kilimanjaro: biodiversity and conservation of the Chagga homegardens. In: Hawksworth, D.L., Bull, A.T. (eds) Forest Diversity and Management. Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5208-8_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5208-8_9
Received:
Accepted:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-5207-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-5208-8
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)