Where forest once extended far down the slopes, only about 270 km is thought to remain, mostly inside forest reserves. The farmed sloped now, however, are an important producer of horticultural crops and are one of the two main locations supplying fruit and vegetables to Dar es Salaam. Long term sustainable agriculture on the slopes is essential for the welfare of the people of Uluguru and Dar es Salaam. The forest and beekeeping division is active in forest conservation in the mountains. However it is increasingly clear that the solution to these problems also lies in the hands of the human communities adjacent to the forest.
Government resources to 'policy' the protection of Tanzania's forests are very limited.
Even of the forest were protected by some 'fortress' policy, experience elsewhere tells us that the hostility engendered between Government and local people by this approach, bodes ill for the longer term. A substantial amount was already known about the biodiversity of the mountains, in particular through an RSPB funded study in 1993, although opportunities were taken to add to this. The most exciting discovery during the project period was the discovery of the globally threatened Usambara Eagle Owl previously thought to be found only in two other mountain ranges. However the main emphasis has been on understanding the pressures on the forest, the perceptions of the local communities and how they could be better involved in the management of the forest so as to both improve their quality of life and ensure protection of the forest. For this work the partners sought advice from other experts, such as the human development agency, CARE Tanzania.