DAR ES SALAAM, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian has seen an 80 percent decrease in bushfire incidents in 2023 compared to the previous year, forestry authorities said on Friday.

Dos Santos Silayo, the conservation commissioner for the Tanzania Forest Services Agency (TFS), said 740 hectares of natural forests were affected by bushfire in 2023, down from 3,700 hectares in 2022, due to the agency's effective interventions.

"Overdependence by the public on firewood and charcoal as the primary source of energy has contributed to the rise in bushfire incidents," Silayo said in Tanzania's commercial hub of Dar es Salaam, adding that irresponsible use of fire near forests and the practice of using fire to chase wild animals have also exacerbated the problem.

Tanzania is home to 12 natural forest reserves, eight of them located in the Eastern Arc Mountains, a chain of separate mountain blocks running from southern Kenya through Tanzania in a crescent or arc shape. Enditem

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