Amani Nature Reserve
Amani Nature Reserve (ANR), located in the East Usambara Mountains, is a paradise of nature with unique flora and fauna. It has been termed as the “Last Paradise.” The flora species composition is diverse; trees of over 60 meters tall exist throughout the reserve while below, many different types of plant species are supported by them.
Amani situated in the pockets in the East Usambara Mountains, is part of the huge natural entity that makes up the Eastern Arc Mountains. It was Gazetted in 1997 with the main objective to involve the local community to take part in the management of the reserve and forest conservation to increase income generating opportunities.
The ANR has a total area of 8380 hectares divided into ecological zones that is home to a collection of medicinal plants, Biodiversity preservation, restoration and Botanical garden.
The reserve has endemical and endangered plants, more than 340 bird species, including a few endemic; there are also 74 genuses of animals, which include reptiles, mammals, amphibians and mollusks. Tourists are likely to see the endemic chameleons, snakes such as cobra, amphibian’s particularly legless frog, Butterfly and other insects.
ANR is registered with the Tropical Biology association as one of the reputable research institutions, to learn first hand about tropical ecology and conservation. Many research works are conducted yearly by renowned universities in the world such as UK’s Leeds University. Others include Tanzanian universities and research institutions (UDSM, SUA and NIMR) and others from Uganda and Madagascar.