Kenya's Biodiversity
Kenya and her Bio - Diversity
Biodiversity
Kenya's protected areas are home to many birds and other wildlife. There are over one thousand species of birds including migrant waterfowl. Animals found in the reserves are elephants, lions, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, zebras, crocodiles, rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses.
Kenya is a mega - biodiversity nation with both globally and nationally significant biodiversity in the wildlife, forest, fresh water and marine ecosystems. Wildlife plays a significant role in the socio-economic development of the country that it forms the basis for tourism, which is Kenya’s largest foreign exchange earner. Kenya’s wildlife consisting of large variety of mammals, birds, reptiles and broad range of other species is one of the richest and most diversified in the region.
Kenya is world famous for its safari wildlife, and 12.3 percent of its land area is currently under some form of protection. The country has 1,103 species of birds, 261 mammals, 407 reptiles, 76 amphibians, and 6,500 species of plants.
An elaborate system of National Parks and Reserves and other sanctuaries has been established to protect and conserve these wildlife resources. However due to unplanned changes in land use and destruction of habitats, there has been gradual loss of habitats and species. Recent surveys indicate significant decrease in wildlife numbers both in and outside protected areas during the last three decades.
About 65% of the country’s biodiversity is found outside protected areas. Steep decline in wildlife populations has occurred in rangelands outside protected areas due to rapid changes in land use leading to wildlife habitat loss through essentially land fragmentation for intensive settlement and cultivation of agricultural crops, which in turn fuel human wildlife conflicts.
Poaching for commercial trade and for bush – meat are major cause for decline in wildlife populations and challenge for wildlife conservation
Biodiversity
Kenya's protected areas are home to many birds and other wildlife. There are over one thousand species of birds including migrant waterfowl. Animals found in the reserves are elephants, lions, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, zebras, crocodiles, rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses.
Kenya is a mega - biodiversity nation with both globally and nationally significant biodiversity in the wildlife, forest, fresh water and marine ecosystems. Wildlife plays a significant role in the socio-economic development of the country that it forms the basis for tourism, which is Kenya’s largest foreign exchange earner. Kenya’s wildlife consisting of large variety of mammals, birds, reptiles and broad range of other species is one of the richest and most diversified in the region.
Kenya is world famous for its safari wildlife, and 12.3 percent of its land area is currently under some form of protection. The country has 1,103 species of birds, 261 mammals, 407 reptiles, 76 amphibians, and 6,500 species of plants.
An elaborate system of National Parks and Reserves and other sanctuaries has been established to protect and conserve these wildlife resources. However due to unplanned changes in land use and destruction of habitats, there has been gradual loss of habitats and species. Recent surveys indicate significant decrease in wildlife numbers both in and outside protected areas during the last three decades.
About 65% of the country’s biodiversity is found outside protected areas. Steep decline in wildlife populations has occurred in rangelands outside protected areas due to rapid changes in land use leading to wildlife habitat loss through essentially land fragmentation for intensive settlement and cultivation of agricultural crops, which in turn fuel human wildlife conflicts.
Poaching for commercial trade and for bush – meat are major cause for decline in wildlife populations and challenge for wildlife conservation