Kenya's Important Bird Areas Status and Trends 2006

… in socio-ecological …, 2010

2012

2013

Kaya Forests of the Mijikenda, 2003

The Kaya forests in Southern Kenya are valuable habitats for rare animal and plant species and provide various ecosystem services. The Kaya forests are also centres of cultural life and are of great relevance to rites, traditions, and the social order of the community of people. During the past decades, these forest remnants become under extreme pressure due to land use and resource exploitation and are in danger of disappearing completely during the next years. This negative trend is progressing with the increasing population density. In addition, the relevance of the former cultural rites is increasingly being forgotten, and with it the relevance of these places. In order to preserve these forest remnants in the long term, it is important to make the population aware of the numerous and valuable ecosystem services, as well as to bring the former cultural life back into the centre of society. A general prerequisite to efficiently conserve Kayas might be the improvement of communication among generations, such as between the elders of Kayas and the youth, as well as among elders from different Kayas to harmonize conservation strategies and the sustainable use of these forest remnants. In addition, strengthening the communication between state institutions and the elders of the individual Kayas might help to find a common strategy to conserve Kaya forests.

2006

2007

Bird Conservation …, 1998

The forests of the Taita Hills of south-east Kenya are of great importance to conservation, holding three endemic birds and many other endemic taxa. We surveyed birds in their remaining forest fragments in July-August 1996, and followed up these surveys with collection of remote sensing imagery of the area, an assessment of museum specimens and a thorough literature review. In this paper we assess the conservation status in the Taita Hills of their 47 species of forest birds. We conclude with general recommendations for the conservation of the area.

African Journal of Ecology

Agricultural conversion of tropical forests is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Slowing rates of deforestation is a conservation priority, but it is also useful to consider how species diversity is retained across the agricultural matrix. Here we assess how bird diversity varies in relation to land use in the Taita Hills, Kenya. We used point counts to survey birds along a land-use gradient that included primary forest, secondary vegetation, agroforest, timber plantation and cropland. We found that the agricultural matrix supports an abundant and diverse bird community with high levels of species turnover, but that forest specialists are confined predominantly to primary forest, with the matrix dominated by forest visitors. Ordination analyses showed that representation of forest specialists decreases with distance from primary forest. With the exception of forest generalists, bird abundance and diversity are lowest in timber plantations. Contrary to expectation, we found feeding guilds at similar abundances in all land-use types. We conclude that while the agricultural matrix, and agroforest in particular, makes a strong contribution to observed bird diversity at the landscape scale, intact primary forest is essential for maintaining this diversity, especially among species of conservation concern. Saxicola torquatus African stonechat INSECT. f MUSOPHAGIDAE Tauraco hartlaubi Hartlaub's turaco FRUG. FF NECTARINIIDAE Chalcomitra amethystina Amethyst sunbird NECT. f Cinnyris mediocris Eastern double-collared sunbird NECT. F Cinnyris venustus Variable sunbird NECT. f Cyanomitra olivacea Olive sunbird NECT. FF PYCNONOTIDAE Chlorocichla flaviventris Yellow-bellied greenbul FRUG. F Phyllastrephus cabanisi Cabanis's greenbul FRUG. FF Phyllastrephus strepitans Northern brownbul FRUG. f Phylloscopus ruficapilla Yellow-throated woodland warbler INSECT. FF Phylloscopus trochilus Willow warbler INSECT. f Pycnonotus barbatus Common bulbul FRUG. f Andropadus importunus Sombre greenbul FRUG. f