Conservation of Woody Plant Diversity in Kenya

Abstract

Environmental conditions along humid to arid gradients in Kenya contribute to woody plant diversity patterns and complicate their conservation as an important resource for human livelihoods. Applied conservation research links floristic and ethnobotanical inventories of woody plant species, measures landscape ecological complexity and the value of woody vegetation types as a cultural resource, and effectively integrates research with application in the context of global environmental policies. For Kenya, and through a case study of an Afromontane/bushland corridor between Tsavo East and West national parks, the review highlights the importance of “water tower” forests but also recognizes a diversity of other woody vegetation types that show unique floristic affinities, high measures of cultural plant resources derived from significant local knowledge, and complex ecological patterns across landscapes in relation to physical–environmental and human resource relationships. Much woody vegetation occurs outside the area measured as forest or woodland cover by international and national authorities, substantiating a need to spatially broaden policies for woody plant conservation and better engage local stakeholders. Global to national policies and practices for carbon accrual, especially with financial inflows from the UN-REDD+ program, strengthen the need to conserve woody plants in Kenya and promote adaptive co-management practices that contribute to the country’s sustainable development.