DAR ES SALAAM, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The Amani Nature Reserve, established by Tanzanian authorities in 1997 to preserve the unique flora and fauna of the East Usambara Mountains, is threatened by gold mining activities, an official said on Wednesday.
Fikiri Maiba, a chief conservator with the Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS), said over 20 hectares of natural forest cover has been destroyed by artisanal miners in recent years.
The Amani Nature Reserve is a source of water for more than 200,000 people living in Tanga region, Maiba told environmental journalists who visited the protected area.
He said the youth are actively involved in gold mining activities in the nature reserve, adding that TFS has formed a task force that conducts frequent patrols to protect the reserve.
According to the official, the small-scale artisanal miners have invaded the forests, causing severe environmental destruction by felling valuable old indigenous trees to dig up gold.
An influx of gold diggers from across the country rushed to the nature reserve in recent years after gold was discovered in the East Usambara Mountains along a stream running adjacent to one of the forest reserves. ■