Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 14.3. Distribution and area of closed forest in
2
Kenya km )
Encroachment, observed in all forests, is
especially severe in the Mau forests and
Machakos. In Mau forests, those under Narok
Country Council are paricularly depleted.
Frequently the areas under greatest pressure are
those outside gazetted forests, and therefore not
under effective conrol of the Forest
Deparment.
230
1.
Tropical rain forest
2.
Montane forest
(Moister)
(a)
Ocotea
(') Aningma-Stmnbosia
(c)
Albizia-Neoboutonia
(d)
Newtonia
(e)
Croton sylvaticus
(f) Podocapus latiolius
(g)
Diospyros-0/ea
(h) Craibia-Cola
415
215
16u
7
110
683
240
lO
The World Bank (1988) and Kokwaro (1988)
present a more detailed analysis of forest loss in
Kakamega. Young (1984) pointed out that up to
1984 Kenya lost more natural forest to plantaion
by Forest Department than to agricultural
encroachment!
Opions to reduce this land hunger are limited,
and include ideas such as President Moi's tea belt
buffer zone (Spears, 1987), improving agri-
cultural producivity and developing other income
generaing aciviies. The last few years have seen
more wriing, more discussion and more research
on forest conservaion issues than the two-and-a-
half decades since Independence. This is a posi-
ive step to understanding that there is a problem
and that the problem is a major land use and
development issue, not simply a local protecion
problem.
The Kenya Forest Department has recently
entered into a Memorandum of Understanding
with the Kenya Wildlife Services to carry out joint
management of the major natural forest areas of
conservaion significance. This will greatly
increase protecion capability and strengthen
management planning and monitoring inputs.
Kenya forestry in general is being supported by a
World Bank coordinated assistance programme
totalling US $ 60 million. This contains a specific
component for natural forests and a biodiversity
inventory.
1840
Sub-total
(a)
Croton-Brachylaena
(b)
Croton megalocapus
(c)
Podocapus alcatus
(d)
Juniperus-Nuxia-Podo
(e)
Juniperus-Rapanea-Hagenia
(f) Juniperus-0/ea
32
16
170
1250
2
5
830
3.
Montane forest
(Drier)
2323
Sub-total
4.
Riverine and groundwater
5.
Coastal
6.
Uncategorised and Uncertain
7.
Mangroves
25
350
560
530
5858
Grand total
Source:
After Beentje,
1990.
Lovett (1990). Both countries have a total of some
2-3% natural forest cover, concenrated on areas
of higher moisture along rivers, on east-facing
mountain blocks and near the coast. In both
counries there is a considerable spread of alitude
and precipitaion within forested areas. This is
reflected in the great ecological and taxonomic
diversity within the forests. The physical factors
affecing forest distribuion and forest ype are
discussed elsewhere in this volume, and
generalised accounts given in, for example, Lind
&
Morrison (1974) and Hamilton (1989). An
overview or easten Africa is given in the Atlas of
Afican Rain Forests (IUCN/CMC, 1992). Esi-
mates of forest cover are given in Tables 14 .1 and
14.3.
Present closed forest cover in Kenya and
Tanzania is less than 3%, Potenial forest cover is
very much higher for both countries, perhaps up
to 20% in Tanzania and 10% in Kenya. Short-
falls result from past clearing and buning for
The orest resource today
Where s the orest resource?
The distribuion and extent of natural closed for-
est cover in eastern Africa has been quaniied for
Kenya by Doute, Ochanda
&
Epp (1981) and
Beentje (l 990a), and for Tanzania by Rodgers,
Mziray
&
Shishira (l 985b), Polhill (1988) and
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