Udzungwa
Landscape Strategy
Protecting a globally unique ecosystem, together.
The Udzungwa Landscape Strategy (ULS) is a long-term, collaborative effort to protect one of Africa’s most extraordinary biodiversity hotspots, the Udzungwa Mountains of southern Tanzania.
ULS brings together communities, protected area managers, civil society organisations, researchers, and donors to conserve nature and improve human well-being.
Discover the ULS
Our Mission & Vision
We work to conserve the unique Udzungwa Mountains landscape through a transparent, inclusive, and long-term strategy that empowers communities and protects biodiversity. Our vision is a resilient Udzungwa where thriving ecosystems and local people coexist and sustain one another—now and for generations to come.
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Why Udzungwa
Over 2,500 plant and 120 mammal species
Home to 46% of Tanzania’s endemic vertebrates
Supports the livelihoods of >250,000 people
18 rivers originate in the Udzungwa Mountains, sustaining hydropower stations that generate over 30% of Tanzania’s electricity
Latest News & Media
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The Udzungwa Mountains are globally recognised for exceptional biodiversity, including thousands of arthropod species found nowhere else on Earth. In just 3.5 hectares of forest, researchers recorded 631 spider species, with 85 per cent new to scienceโone of the highest documented densities of spider diversity worldwide.
To strengthen evidence-based conservation, long-term invertebrate monitoring is underway in Kilombero Nature Forest Reserve and Udzungwa Mountains National Park, led by the Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre in collaboration with protected area authorities. Permanent monitoring plots and standardised seasonal surveys are generating baseline and trend data on insects, spiders, and other arthropods.
These species respond more rapidly to habitat disturbance and climate variability than vertebrates, making them effective early indicators of forest health. Integrating this data into management planning strengthens adaptive decision-making and supports Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning under the Udzungwa Landscape Strategy.
Science is guiding long-term protection across the Udzungwa landscape, ensuring that even the smallest species inform the future of conservation.
For detailed context on spider diversityโan important component of Udzungwaโs arthropod communitiesโsee:
Malumbres-Olarte J, Crespo L, Cardoso P, Szลฑts T, Fannes W, Pape T, et al. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต: ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐จ๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ข๐น๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ท๐ข๐ณ๐ช๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ด๐ฑ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ท๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐จ๐ณ๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต. Acta Oecologica [Internet]. 2018 Apr [cited 2023 Mar 13];88:19โ28. Available from: https://lnkd.in/gJfyiGZe](https://scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/639806244_17913578271331959_2122108837531841507_n.webp?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=105&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=hUHNUccsUlgQ7kNvwGvmwFx&_nc_oc=AdojBwIZ5XUh744Zr7KwMqFAhtdtaUMyK2VenoVbkwYZ0TZUufNB-pm7UaodlI2MICo&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-den2-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=F-l42tSuNDHYkWlAxmLwqQ&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQLBPnz3c0axlcacFWXDnvK5NpvZUcdLPwoiJoc50zmRznqhBb5IDARGul065smiPmXtH4ie-yf8&oh=00_AQSX0MxsHIQTnEh41A0v7KT4vepxq3HAt10Q2AGRiPytwg&oe=6AE74454)
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Partners & Donors
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