Technical workshop on the methodologies of conducting forest surveys and wild edible mushroom assessments in the Miombo woodlands organized by the Association for Development of Protected Areas (ADAP), and the Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS) on 30 June 2021 in Tabora.
Our consultant, Dr Urs Bloesch from Adansonia-Consulting and Matana Levi, ADAP’s Livelihoods and Natural Resources Officer (LNRO) presented a plotless method (Point-Centered Quarter Method) that ADAP has been using to assess the current status of forest ecosystems health in Miombo forests of the Western Tanzania. This method was used to establish baseline information of ADAP’s projects in Rungwa River Forest Reserve and Kululu Forest in the year 2020/2021. The method will also be used for the coming survey in the Mulele Hills Forest Reserve which is expected to be conducted in July 2021. To demonstrate the workability of the method, participants in the workshop visited Simbo Forest Reserve to practically assist the layout of the transect methodology.
In addition, Dr Urs Bloesch and Twinzi Henrico, ADAP’s Data and Community Development Officer, presented the recent assessment of wild mushrooms of Western Tanzania that revealed a total of 50 edible mushrooms out of 100 identified fungi species. The marketing potential of wild edible mushrooms is untapped because of the poor picking, drying, and packing practices. The adoption of appropriate mushroom picking, drying, and packing techniques could bring additional income mainly to rural women. ADAP is therefore supporting the promotion and marketing chain of wild edible mushrooms in their Rungwa River and Katavi-Ugalla corridors projects.
Find more information in our annual report 2020.