Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests of Tanzania and Kenya ...

The flora and fauna of the Eastern Arc Mountains represent an interesting combinationof species associated with West Africa, Madagascar and even Southeast Asia but, as anartifact of geographic isolation, has resulted in recently evolved species.Biodiversity in the Coastal ForestsPart of the coastal forests ecoregion along the East African coast include the islands ofZanzibar (Unguja and Pemba) and comprises a mosaic of forest patches and interveninghabitats. Closed canopy forest represents only 1 percent of the area but contains atleast 400 endemic plant species out of the 3,000 plant species identified from coastalforests. The remaining 99 percent of the area is a heterogeneous mix including savannawoodlands, bushlands, thickets, and farmland that contain more than 500 endemic plantspecies. Many of the plant species are relicts of a historical connection to the Guineo-Congolian lowland forests of West Africa.The highest biodiversity is found in the various kinds of closed canopy forest vegetation:dry forest, scrub forest, Brachystegia (miombo) forest, riverine forest, groundwaterforest, swamp forest, and coastal/afromontane transition forest. In total, there are morethan 4,500 plant species and 1,050 plant genera. Single site endemism and disjunctdistributions are common, illustrated by the fact that a substantial proportion of theendemic plants are confined to a single forest.Unlike in other hotspots, these forests and the prevalence of endemic species are theresult of geographic isolation. Thus recreating biodiversity conservation corridorsbetween sites is not appropriate, however the current degree of fragmentation of forestswithin individual sites poses a significant threat to the conservation of species. With thisin mind, increasing connectivity between remnant fragments is vital.ThreatsThe most prevalent threat to the remaining forests within the Eastern Arc Mountains andCoastal Forests is habitat destruction leading to fragmentation and loss of remaininghabitats for many known (and unknown) globally threatened species.There are four main threats that, combined, place significant pressure on the remainingforest fragments:• Agriculture;• Commercial timber extraction;• Mining; and• Fires.There are several, yet intrinsically linked root causes of these threats. Burgeoninghuman population exerting pressure on forest resources and land; poverty leading tounsustainable use of forest resources; lack of strategic management and action plans;under-resourced government institutions; a legacy of outdated environmental policiesand legislation; and lack of political will all combine to undervalue forests and theecosystem services that they provide.On the positive side, these problems are widely recognized and various initiatives(including institutional, policy and legislative reforms) have been launched to address2