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

New Investment Gives Hope for Threatened Species in Tanzania and KenyaCEPF and four East African organizations recently announced a $7million investment strategy to conserve the rich natural resources ofthe Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests of Tanzania andKenya.The announcement activities included consultative meetings inMombasa, Tanga, Dar es Salaam and Morogoro with more than 140representatives from community-based groups, nongovernmentalorganizations and the private sector to discuss how they can helpimplement and benefit from the strategy.The $7 million will be awarded as grants to civil society groups to helpsafeguard the biodiversity hotspot, which is home to at least 1,500species of plants, Kirk’s red colobus (also known as Zanzibar redcolobus) and other wildlife unique to the area.In Tanzania, water flowing from the Eastern Arc forests is the source of 90 percent of thecountry's hydroelectric power. The forests are also the source of water for major cities, includingDar es Salaam, Tanga and Morogoro.However, while the Eastern Arc forests once covered more than 23,000 square kilometers in thetwo countries, more recent estimates place the remaining forest cover as low as 2,000 squarekilometers."The investment brings urgently needed resources to help us ensure that these preciousresources are properly managed in step with sustainable development," said Nike Doggart of theTanzania Forest Conservation Group.The group will coordinate CEPF investments in the region together with BirdLife International, theInternational Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology and the WWF-Eastern Africa ProgrammeOffice. The local BirdLife Partners are NatureKenya and the Wildlife Conservation Society ofTanzania.The investment strategy, known as an ecosystem profile, includes a special focus on the linkagesbetween people and conservation, with support to enable local populations to directly participatein conservation efforts.Many of the meeting participants, who included representatives from more than 70 communitybasedgroups, will also receive training in how to develop sound proposals and apply for funding.The first of these special training sessions will take place July 15 in Mombasa and others will beheld in Tanga, Dar es Salaam and Morogoro.Learn more about this hotspot and the CEPF ecosystem profile.© Patricio Robles Gil/SierraMadreThe Eastern Arc Mountainshotspot is home to 333 globallythreatened species, includingKirk's red colobus (above).