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 the 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 also 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 global 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 region 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. |