I am pleased to invite you to explore our website designed to collect, present and preserve online information on the Tanzania Forest Services (TFS) agency and forestry resources management. TFS, established on 30th July, 2010 aims at improving the delivery of public services related to sustainable supply of quality forest and bee products and services, while maintaining stable ecosystem and biological diversity in the country.
Tanzania’s forest resources cover 48 million (mil) hectares (ha) of forestland equivalent to 55% of total land area in Tanzania mainland. The forest land comprises of 44.6 million hectares. (93%) of woodlands and 3.4mil ha (7%) consisting of catchment forests, mangroves, coastal forests and government forest plantations.
TFS is mandated to manage national forest reserves (natural and plantations), bee reserves and forest and bee resources on general lands. The establishment of the TFS as an Executive Agency anticipated to enhancing the management and conservation of forest and bee resources for sustainable supply of quality forest and bee products and services.
TFS is managing about 506 forest reserves including 1.4 mil ha of catchment; 115,000 ha of mangrove; 233,837 ha of nature reserves and 89,000ha of plantation forests. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism (MNRT) through Forestry and Beekeeping Division administers about 161 forest reserves under Local Government Authorities. MNRT puts emphasis on participatory forest management (PFM) as a forest policy approach to enable effective management of unreserved forests under community responsibility while TFS emphasizes on joint forest management (JFM) to manage central forest reserves.
Tanzania has the capacity of 9.2 million bee colonies and potential production of 138,000 tonnes of honey and 625 tonnes of beeswax. The production is approximately 9,380 tonnes of honey and an average of 625.3 tonnes of beeswax. There are stinging and stingless bees in varieties of races. Beekeeping is practiced in most rural areas particularly in miombo woodlands of southern highlands, central, west and northern zones.
TFS holds on improving the management and production capacity of both natural and plantation forests and apiaries; encouraging community tree planting and forest resources management. TFS also strives to ensure ecosystem stability and conservation of forest biodiversity, water catchments and soil through improved forests management and enhanced protection.
TFS acknowledges the participation and roles played by various stakeholders in the management and conservation of forests and bee resources for sustainable supply of quality forest and bee products and services; hence contributing to the achievements of social and economic development of Tanzania.
Welcome to our domain http://www.tfs.go.tz an online medium and platform with our stakeholders, customers and/ clients for TFS information and facilitates. Ignite our domain to witness TFS’s professional commitment to promoting service delivery satisfaction and orientation of our experience in sustainable management and conservation of natural forests, bee resources whilst preserving environment for economic, social and cultural values.
Prof. Dos Santos Silayo