The impacts of forest restoration initiatives on forest cover on the selected water towers landscapes of Tanzania

Abstract Introduction Although conservation agencies have injected significant financial and technical resources into the Tanzanian water towers landscapes (WTL) over the past 20 years, the absence of consistent, site‐specific forest cover data undermines efforts to assess intervention outcomes and guide evidence‐based policy and land use planning. This study assessed the impacts of conservation initiatives on forest cover change across WTL in Tanzania. Objectives We assessed the impact of the Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) Initiatives across the WTL of Tanzania, specifically assessing (1) the effectiveness of the applied FLR initiatives, (2) determining the cover change both in the evergreen forests and woodlands, and (3) documenting the success stories on FLR initiatives across the selected study area. Methods We conducted internet searching, key informant interviews, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)‐based methods using Sentinel‐2 imagery to assess the forest cover change from 2000 to 2020 across the WTL of Tanzania. Sentinel‐2 images provide useful evidence of the forest cover change in connection with the FLR interventions during the study period. Results Our results indicated a notable increase of 6217 ha for the evergreen forest cover from Udzungwa and Magombera Forest Reserves, respectively, and an overall decline of 23,210 ha from all evergreen forests across the WTL. Woodlands increased by 31,016 ha prominently in Kilombero, Kazimzumbwi and Ruvu evergreen forests across Tanzania.