The
Conservancy's project is located in a biodiversity hotspot convergence
zone—where the coastal
forests of Eastern Africa and Horn
of Africa meet. Much of that area is comprised of Somali
Acacia-Commiphora bushlands and thickets. The coastal forests
of Eastern Africa hotspot (shown in the rotating map above as the
lower yellow circle), which includes portions of the Tana River
north of the coast, 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
and serve as important repositories for endemic plants and animals:
The
Horn of Africa biodiversity hotspot covers more than 1.5 million
km² and is one of only two hotspots that is entirely arid.
It is also one of the most degraded of all 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. This subregion has over 2,700 endemic
plants and animals, including threatened antelopes, and more reptiles
than anywhere in Africa. The bushlands of northeastern Kenya are
found here. |