Forests are life-sustaining, providing habitat for diverse animal life and essential renewable resources like wood and water for people. Their sublime beauty invites us in and refreshes the human spirit. Trouble is, nearly half the world’s original forest cover has vanished.

East Africa's highland forests, which grace the ancient landscape of Africa’s Eastern Rift Valley, provide sustenance for local people as well as habitat for a myriad of species, such as tree frogs and migratory birds.

Providing patches of canopy cover from the slopes of Mount Kenya to the shores of Lake Tanganyika, these forests are a high priority for The Nature Conservancy in protecting the African continent’s extraordinarily diverse plant and animal life.

These forests encompass a range of altitudes, soil types and rainfall that supports a broad spectrum of species. Local families depend on forest resources for food, medicine, and wood fuel. These forests have also served as water towers since the dawn of human history; today they replenish lakes and streams, and provide clean water for millions of people.

Threats

At the turn of the 20th century, 30 percent of Kenya was blanketed with forests. A century later, less than two percent of that forest cover remains.

In both Kenya and Tanzania, farmers in need of food and income have pushed right up against the boundaries of preserves, clearing land to plant crops. Local people also use trees for building materials, wood carvings for the tourist trade, and traditional medicines made from bark. We must identify alternatives that improve people's livelihoods and sustain forest ecosystems.

Starting in Kenya and Tanzania, we are working with people to better balance their needs for natural resources and economic growth with conservation actions that will permit forests to flourish. We can strengthen the management of protected forests and restore additional areas identified as the most valuable for plants, animals and human well-being in East Africa.

Because reforestation is so costly, The Nature Conservancy is working with partners to prioritize these projects in Kenya and Tanzania. Reforestation is also painstaking, from collecting and cultivating of seeds to carefully planting the many species required for a healthy ecosystem. Once in the ground, seedlings require long-term care and monitoring. The Conservancy is committed to supporting the restoration of 20,000 acres of highland forest in western Tanzania by working with partners and local communities. In Kenya, we expect to contribute directly to more than doubling forest cover to five percent by 2015.

Partners

We are making the most of our investment by enhancing the work of on-the-ground partners like local governments and the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), which focuses on protecting wild ape populations and other biological diversity, improving people’s health, and augmenting income-earning opportunities.

Another key partner is the Green Belt Movement (GBM), which focuses on reforestation of public and private lands. GBM gives women and other community members the chance to earn a living growing and planting trees while simultaneously restoring natural forest functions.

Making a Difference Right Now

Through our Adopt an Acre Program, The Nature Conservancy has made targeted grants to JGI and GBM to protect and restore priority forests. The Conservancy is also sharing technical expertise. We are working with GBM to help prioritize their tree-planting program, researching the most biologically significant places for successful reforestation.

Conservation planning workshops are underway in Gombe Stream National Park and the Greater Mahale Mountains Ecosystem. Meanwhile, the Conservancy plans to support reforestation efforts in the Mau forests on the west side of the Rift Valley and those of the Aberdare Mountains on the east side.

We can ensure a strong future for the animal species struggling to survive in islands of forests as well as for the women and children who must walk farther and farther to collect wood and water for their daily needs. With your help, The Nature Conservancy can expand both the scope and the health of the highland forests of East Africa.
 
 

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Josh Knights/TNC (Nairobi National Park of Kenya); Photo © Gwynn Crichton/TNC (Chimpanzee in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania); Photo © Henner Frankenfeld/Redux Pictures (A local woman works in a tree nursery as part of the Green Belt Movement); Photo © Josh Knights/TNC (Gombe National Park boat in Tanzania).