Annotated list of large birds extirpated from Laikipia County, Kenya, and some of conservation concern

Thomas M. Butynski & Yvonne A. de Jong, Lolldaiga Hills Research Programme

Introduction
Laikipia County (ca. 9,700 km²), central Kenya, comprises a highly diverse landscape of grassland, bushland, woodland, dry forest, moist forest, riverine forest, wetland, and farmland. Mean annual rainfall ranges from 40 cm in the north to 120 cm in the southeast and southwest. Although mean annual rainfall is >80 cm in the southeast and southwest, about 75% of Laikipia County (hereafter, ‘Laikipia’) is semi-arid. The altitudinal range is 1,260–2,400 m above sea level. In 2013, there were about 43 people/km² and the total population was about 400,000 people. Much of Laikipia’s natural habitat has been degraded, fragmented, or lost as a result of over-grazing and over-browsing by livestock, cutting of trees, conversion to farmland, and over-harvesting of water. Detailed descriptions of the environments of Laikipia, and the threats to these environments, are presented in Georgiadis (2011) and Butynski and De Jong (2014, 2015). In the case of vultures, feeding on poisoned mammal carcasses has probably been the main cause of declines and extirpations (Ogada et al. 2016). Special reference is give here to Lolldaiga Hills Ranch (200 km²) in east Laikipia.

For the full note, please go to http://www.lolldaiga.com/birds-extirpated-laikipia/

Publicado el diciembre 1, 2018 07:21 TARDE por dejong