Abstract

  There is an increase in Deforestation on Zanzibar (Ungula) Island, particularly along the western side of the island.  Due to the island’s topography and climate, there is only a small portion of the island that is fertile.  This small portion is located on the western side of the island where there are deep soils, which are good for agriculture.  The eastern side of the island is mainly a coral rag area and has shallow soils.  Since the soil is poor on the eastern side of the island there is little to no agriculture and is used mainly for grazing [i].  Zanzibar’s economic dependence on agriculture has encouraged deforestation to increase the amount of land available for cultivation.  Recently, there has also been an increase in tourism.  To attract tourists, the island has marketed itself as a paradise-like destination.  To create the image of “paradise”, the island has been modified and changed to fit the “paradise” image [ii].  To create the image of “paradise”, coastal vegetation has been cleared to allow development of beach-front properties for resorts and docks which will allow cruise ships to visit the island.  This is only one example of how the island has been modified. For this paper, geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing images were used to study vegetative growth throughout the island.  Images were taken from Google Earth, Glovis, and Global Land Cover Facility.  These images were then modified and compared to other maps and images of Zanzibar.  After reviewing the images, I found there has been a noticeable decrease in vegetation.  The west side of the island has experienced the greatest decrease in vegetation.  Although deforestation appears to be concentrated on the west side of the island, deforestation is starting to increase in other parts of the islands.