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

CEPF FACT SHEETEastern Arc Mountains and CoastalForests of Tanzania and KenyaCEPF INVESTMENT PLANNED IN REGION$7 millionQUICK FACTSIn Tanzania, water flowing from the EasternArc forests is the source of 90 percent of thecountry's hydroelectric power. The forests arealso the source of water for major cities.While the Eastern Arc forests once coveredmore than 23,000 square kilometers in bothKenya and Tanzania, more recent estimatesplace the remaining forest cover as low as2,000 square kilometers.Five monkey species and at least fourspecies of prosimian primates are unique, orendemic, to this region. Found only along theTana River in Kenya, the Tana River redcolobus is Critically Endangered. Only1,000-1,200 of the Critically EndangeredZanzibar red colobus remain in the wild.The region is home to 20 out of 21 species ofthe African violet, which form the basis of aglobal houseplant trade.The Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests of Tanzania and Kenyaregion runs along the coasts of these two East African countries and includesZanzibar.The region has two distinct habitats - the Coastal Forests and the EasternArc Mountains. Together, they harbor at least 1,500 plant species foundnowhere else, as well as unique mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.There are 333 globally threatened species, including the Critically EndangeredAders’ duiker (Cephalophus adersi) and the Endangered Zanzibar orKirk’s red colobus (Procolobus kirkii), found only in Zanzibar’s Jozani Forest.Previously classified as a biodiversity hotspot itself, the region now lies withintwo hotspots—the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot and the Coastal Forests ofEastern Africa Hotspot—identified as part of a hotspots reappraisal released in2005. Hotspots are Earth’s biologically richest places. They hold especiallyhigh numbers of species found nowhere else and face extreme threats: Eachhotspot has already lost at least 70 percent of its original natural vegetation.THREATSThe habitats are notably fragmented, making threatened species within keysites highly vulnerable to extinction and further habitat loss. Agriculturalencroachment, timber extraction and charcoal production are the greatestthreats to habitat in this region, although weak management capacity withingovernment and communities is a serious issue.The Eastern Arc Mountains comprise a chainof 12 mountain blocks stretching some 900kilometers from Tanzania to Kenya.The Eastern Arc Mountains andCoastal Forests of Tanzania andKenya region runs along theTanzanian and Kenyan coasts andincludes Zanzibar.1919 M STREET, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20036, USA. 1.202.912.1808 FAX 1.202.912.1045 Updated March 2005www.cepf.net