Eastern Africa Coastal Forest Programme: Regional Workshop ...

ANNEX I: FORMAL DEFINITION OF THE
EASTERN AFRICAN COASTAL FORESTS
1. Name
Eastern African Coastal Forests.
2. Chorological Position
Archipelago-like regional sub-centre of endemism in the Swahili regional centre of
endemism and the Swahili/Maputaland regional transition zone along the eastern
coast of Africa.
3. Main Vegetation Formation Type
Forest sensu White (1983):
'Forest is a continuous stand of trees. The canopy varies in height from 10 m to 50 m
or more, and more usually consists of several layers or storeys. The crowns of
individual trees interdigitate or overlap each other and are often interlaced with
lianas. A shrub layer is normally present. It is usually densest in those types of forest
with a more open canopy. The ground layer is often sparse and may be absent or
consist only of bryophytes. '
4. Floristic composition
Forest dominated (i.e. containing more than 50 % of all individuals of trees with a
diameter at breast height of 10 cm or more) by Swahili near endemic tree species, i.e.
tree species whose global distribution is limited to the eastern African coastal area.
5. The Typical Vegetation Formation Types, Sub-Types, Variants & Transitions
The term 'Eastern African Coastal Forest'is here defined as a collective term to
encompass the typical vegetation formation type (eastern African Coastal Dry Forest)
as well as variant and transitional formation types/sub-types.
5.1 Eastern African Coastal Dry Forest (Typical Vegetation Formation Type)
Semi-evergreen or evergreen undifferentiated dry forest sensu White (1983), with the
amendments that (1) eastern African Coastal Dry Forests can occur where
atmospheric humidity is high throughout the dry season, and (2) these eastern African
Coastal Dry Forests may have a lower canopy (to 7 m) than the minimum limit of 10
m adopted in White (1983).
Representative samples include the 'Cynometra webberi-Manilkara sulcata’
community of the Arabuko-Sokoke forest, Kenya; the forests on Gendagenda Hill,
Tanzania; Inhansato and Inhamitanga forests, Cheringoma, Mozambique; Matandwe
forest, Malawi Hills; Haroni and Rusitu forests, Zimbabwe.
5.2 Eastern African Coastal Scrub Forest (Variant Vegetation Formation Type)
Scrub Forest sensu White (1983) which is intermediate in structure between forest
(canopy height > 10 m) and bushland or thicket (canopy height < 10 m). In eastern
Eastern Africa Coastal Forests - 51 - Workshop Report, Nairobi February 4-7 2002