Planning Conservation Action For Kenya’s Threatened Trees
Botanic Gardens Conservation International
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Abstract: Kenya has a rich diversity of native tree species. There are more than 1,100 native tree species,40 of which are endemic. More than ten percent (120) of Kenya’s tree species are threatened with extinction. There is an urgent need for well-planned conservation action underpinned by current,reliable information on the distribution,habitat,population status,key sites and major threats for threatened species,to ensure that none of Kenya’s tree species becomes extinct. In October - November 2020,Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) and the IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) hosted a series of virtual workshops in collaboration with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to effectively plan conservation action for Kenya’s threatened tree species. Planning contributors who attended the workshops included representation from more than 30 organisations including government (national and local),NGOs,and academic institutions. This report summarises what was achieved during the conservation planning workshops,including the development of a national Vision and Goals. Five workshops were held: two focused on priority actions at the national level; three focused on developing priority actions for two Kenyan regions (the coastal forest and the Taita Hills),which host a high density of threatened tree species. Key threats identified for the native trees of these regions include shifting agriculture and wood harvesting. The majority of actions identified during the workshops focused on site-based conservation,rather than addressing species-specific needs due to the high number of threatened species present. Next steps are outlined in this report. Additionally,participants of the workshops have formed a Kenya Threatened Tree Consortium. Subsequent to the workshops,a website for conservation action for Kenya’s threatened trees has been launched to provide a central hub for resources and to track action for each species. jointly coordinated by KFS and BGCI,which will oversee progress on the recommended conservation planning actions. It is proposed that conservation planning sessions are carried out for additional Kenyan regions,particularly those with a high number of threatened tree species.