| The
AWD Conservancy's community project is located in a biodiversity
hotspot convergence zone—where the coastal
forests of eastern Africa and the Horn
of Africa meet. The coastal
forests of eastern Africa biodiversity hotspot (shown in the map
above as the lower yellow circle) has over 1,700 threatened endemic
plants and animals, including three highly threatened monkey species
and two species of bushbabies.
The coastal forests of Kenya are part of a forest
mosaic that extends from the Kenya-Somalia border to the Tanzania-Mozambique
border. These forests serve as important repositories for endemic
plants and animals. Plant
species in the region are under extreme pressure from local and
commercial harvesting. Besides the wild
dog, other Endangered
and Critically
Endangered species are found in the region, including the Tana
River mangabey (Cercocebus galeritus) and the Tana
River red colobus (Procolobus rufomitratus). |
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Learn more about the Tana River mangabey 
and the Tana River red colobus. |
| The Horn
of Africa biodiversity hotspot (shown in the map above as the
upper yellow circle) covers more than 1.5 million sq. km, and is one
of only two hotspots that is entirely arid. It is also one of the
most degraded hotspots with only about 5
percent of the original habitat remaining. Livestock grazing is
a major cause of degradation, followed by charcoal harvesting and
political instability. The hotspot has over 2,700 endemic plants and
animals, including threatened antelopes, and more endemic reptiles
than anywhere in Africa. The xeric
bushlands of northeastern Kenya are found in this hotspot. |
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