Fadhila Hassan Mtoi
- Project name: Conservation of Tetrorchidium ulugurense in the Uluguru and Nguru Mountains Nature Forest Reserves
- Project site: Uluguru and Nguru Mountains Nature Forest Reserves, Morogoro Region, Tanzania
- EDGE species:
Tetrorchidium ulugurense
- Active: 2026 - ongoing
Biography
Fadhila Hassan Mtoi is a Tanzanian botanist and conservation practitioner with a BSc in Botanical Sciences from the University of Dar es Salaam. Her field experience spans ecological monitoring, forest inventories, camera-trap surveys, and community-based natural resource management. At the Udzungwa Ecological Monitoring Centre and with the Southern Tanzania Elephant Program, she monitored wildlife movement along the Kilombero Elephant Corridor and supported agroforestry and environmental education initiatives. She has also conducted forest resource assessments in western Tanzania and worked on youth-focused beekeeping and livelihood initiatives.
Fadhila is particularly motivated by the risk that poorly studied plants may decline before their ecological value is recognised. Through the Fellowship, she aims to develop as a specialist in plant conservation and ecosystem management, strengthening her expertise in plant ecology, GIS, conservation assessment and participatory research. She also aims to create opportunities for young Tanzanian women to gain practical conservation experience and build their confidence in the field.
EDGE Project
Tetrorchidium ulugurense is a little-known tree species confined to the humid montane and submontane forests of Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains. Its narrow range and dependence on moist, closed-canopy forest render it vulnerable to agricultural encroachment, logging, firewood collection, shifting cultivation, wildfire and climate change. Yet fundamental information on its population size, regeneration and distribution remains scarce, limiting reserve managers’ ability to plan targeted action.
Fadhila will survey the Uluguru and Nguru Mountains Nature Forest Reserves to estimate species density and population structure, recording seedlings, saplings and mature trees across elevations. GPS records, field observations and satellite data will be combined to map species distributions and identify potentially suitable habitat, while responsibly collected specimens will support identification and herbarium records. Alongside the ecological work, household interviews, focus groups and discussions with forest officers and community leaders will document local knowledge, forest use and threats.
The project will also engage nearby villages and schools through meetings, educational materials and conservation clubs. By training young women in tree identification and forest monitoring, Fadhila will build local conservation capacity and generate evidence for reserve management, future Red List work and long-term monitoring of this overlooked Eastern Arc tree.
