Stunning images reveal the rich biodiversity of remotest Tanzania

A young yellow baboon (above) looks out at Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Tanzania. The Udzungwa Mountains are covered in very rich rainforest, but their remoteness means that the area has been relatively unexplored by biologists until recently.

The park is home to six species of primates, and for two of these species – the Udzungwa red hut and the Sanje crested mangabey – the park is the last refuge. Another animal found here, the kipunji monkey, was only recognized as a new species in 2003 – the first new monkey species discovered in Africa since the crested mangabey Sanje in the 1980s.

“It was a kind of magic for me,” says photographer Frédéric Noy, who took a series of images that give a glimpse into the region. It’s not so surprising that we keep discovering new species of fish in the deep sea or tiny insects on land, he says. “But mammals, wow!”

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What’s more, the kipunji were later assigned their own lineage, Rungwece bus – the first new genus of monkey since 1923. It is estimated that there are only 2000 left, some in Udzungwa and some in other parts of Tanzania.

Other recent discoveries at Udzungwa include a giant tree Tessmannia princepswhich can grow up to 40 meters. It was described as a new species just last year.

On one side of the mountains, native trees are being planted in deforested areas as part of a project known as Udzungwa Corridor. The aim is to connect the Udzungwa Mountains National Park with another nearby reserve.

The work is funded by selling carbon credits, allowing local people to earn money if they agree to plant trees on their land. The photo above shows part of one of the nurseries growing trees for the project along with some other plants.

Many people around Udzungwa keep beehives (shown below). The main reason is to provide an additional source of income – this practice has been encouraged to help compensate those who can no longer use the resources of the Udzungwa Mountains National Park. Another reason is that beehives are believed to deter elephants. No elephants live in the park itself, Noy says, but they occasionally wander in from nearby areas.

Sugarcane is one of the main crops grown in the area. Below, a sugarcane truck drives through a crop field, with Mount Udzungwa looming in the background. Part of the Sanje Falls can be seen.