Introduction to the biogeography and ecology of the rain forests of eastern Africa - Biogeography and Ecology of the Rain Forests of Eastern Africa - page 7

hybridisaion). The concluding chapter 14, by
Rodgers, focuses on the conservaion of the for-
ests of easten Africa, both historically and into
the future. This chapter and others emphasise
that the highly fragmented, relaively small forest
patches of eastern Africa place them at consider-
ably greater conservaion risk than the larger for-
est blocks of westen Africa (see also Newmark,
1991). Rodgers argues that orests were once
much more extensive in Tanzania and Kenya
(20% and 10%, respecively) but were desroyed
by clearing and burning for culivaion. He draws
upon biogeographical theory to develop manage-
ment srategies for forest conservaion in easten
Africa.
The unique nature and conservation import-
ance of the rain forests of easten Africa have
been recognised for many years (Polhill, 1968;
Lucas, 1968; Rodgers & Homewood, 1982).
These points are highlighted throughout this
topic. Collecively, the chapters provide the
readers with a comprehensive view of how evolu-
ionary events have shaped the biogeography and
ecology of these forests. It is our hope that these
studies will contribute to the development and
implementaion of effective conservaion srate-
gies for the easten African forests into the future.

HAMILTON, A. c. (1982). Environmental Histoy of
Afica: A Study of the Qu artenay. London:
Academic Press.
IUCN/UNEP (1982). Conservaion of coastal and
marine ecosystems and living resources of the East
African Region. United Na tions Environment
Programme Reional Seas Rports and Studies No. 11.
IVERSEN, s. T. (1991). The Usambara mountains,
NE Tanzania: Phytogeography of the vascular plant
flora. Sy mbolae Botanicae Up saliensis 24, 1-234.
LOVETT,). c. (1988). Endemism and affiniies of the
Tanzanian montane forest flora. In Sys tematic
Studies in African Botany, ed. P. Goldblatt and P. P.
Loy, pp. 591-8. St Louis: Missouri Botanical
Garden.
LUCAS, G. L. (1968). Kenya. In Conseoation of
Vegetation in Afi ca South of the Sahara, ed. I.
Hedberg and 0. Hedberg, pp. 152-63. Acta
Phytogeographica Suecica, Vol. 54.
MABBERLEY, D. (1983). pical Rain Forest Ecoloy.
London: Blackie.
NEWMARK, w. D. (1991). Tropical forest
fragmentaion and the local einction of
understory birds in the Easten Usambara
Mountains, Tanzania. Conseoation Bioloy 5,
67-78.
POLHILL, R. M. (1968). Tanzania. In Conseoation of
Vegetation in Africa South of the Sahara, ed. I.
Hedberg and 0. Hedberg, pp. 166-78. Acta
Phytogeographica Suecica, vol. 54.
RODGERS, W. A. & HOMEWOOD, K. M. (1982).
Species richness and endemism in the Usumbara
mountain forests, Tanzania. Biological Jounal of the
Linnean Soiety 18, 197-242.
WERGER, M. J. A. (1978). The Karoo-Namib
Region. In Biogeoraphy and Ecoloy of Southn
Africa, ed. M. J. A. Werger, pp. 231-99. The
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References
AXELROD, D. I. & RAVEN, P. H. (1978). Late
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