This paper presents the findings on the study on land cover changes and their determinants in the coral rag ecosystem of the South District of Unguja. The study is based on data extracted from the 1975, 2009, and 2014 satellite images using remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS) techniques. Additional data were collected through structured interviews in a household survey, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, transect walks and observation. The major change detected in the study area from 1975 to 2014 was the decline of forests by 28.3% from 43.31 to 15% and the increase of semi-open forest and bush by 24.16% from 10.54 to 34.7%. During the same time, settlements increased from 0.1 to 4.9%. Different factors both direct and underlying have caused land cover change in the study area. Direct causes include shifting cultivation, commercial cutting of wood for fire wood, charcoal, pegs and cutting sticks for seaweed farming, while the underlying ones are population growth, policy reform and policy failure, land tenure insecurity, soil as well as the terrain and underlying rocks. If not properly addressed, land cover changes are likely to affect either positively or negatively the wildlife as well as the livelihoods of the communities. Investment in intensive cultivation and alternative sources of energy is required to reduce over utilization of forest resources and to improve conservation and people's livelihood.

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In recent decades, medicinal plants have been overused. The failure of some modern medicines, an increase in degenerative diseases and the trading of medicinal plants are among the factors that have triggered such overutilization. This study was carried out in West Usambara Mountains, in Tanzania, to investigate the effects of medicinal plant harvesting on plants conservation. We collected ethnobotanical data from 160 respondents. Interviews and field observation were the main data collection methods. SPSS Version 25 was used to analyse the collected data to understand the knowledge on the parts of medicinal plant used, the preparation of medicines from plants, amount harvested, and the effects of harvested herbs on plants conservation. Information obtained from key informants was analysed through thematic analysis. The study revealed that some medicinal plant species such as Omphalogonus calophyllus and Aloe spp. were being unsustainably harvested. Furthermore, the change from cultural ways of using medicinal plants to commercial purposes was found to be threatening plant species in the area. The study concludes that West Usambara is a rich region of diverse medicinal plants and traditional healthcare knowledge. However, the change from the culture of using medicinal plants for domestic use only to commercial use is threatening the existence of medicinal plants. Hence, it signals the need for serious efforts to be made to create public awareness; initiate and establish laws so that appropriate measures are taken to conserve medicinal plants in the fragile natural ecosystem of the West Usambara Mountains.

Human beings have continued to decline and fragment mini‐antelopes habitats. We studied the effects of land cover change on the conservation of the endangered Ader's Duiker (Cephalophus adersi), the Zanzibar blue duiker (Cephalophus monticola sundevalli) and the Suni (Neotragus moschatus zanzibaricus) in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Data were obtained from the 1975, 2009 and 2014 satellite images and geographical information systems, focus group discussions, transect‐walk and observation. We found that the habitat of mini‐antelopes had declined from 87.3% to 58.5% between 1975 and 2014 and become fragmented. The forest fragments increased from 35 to 139 patches while shrubs increased from 41 to 199 patches. Community members had the perception that the decline and fragmentation of the habitat had caused the numbers of mini‐antelopes and their forage to decline. We also found that there were incidences of mini‐antelopes eating crop plants such as cowpeas, yams and tomatoes in the farms during the night as an adaptive mechanism for forage decline. Conclusively, land cover changes from human activities have caused negative effects on the mini‐antelopes. There is, therefore need for the local people, the government and private individuals or corporations to introduce collective conservation initiatives, including the establishment of conservation areas to conserve the mini‐antelopes.