Archive for the ‘Shimoni Forest’ Category
My question for the day: what do you do when you can’t get in to the field to collect data…? … you wait for the data to come to you.
Shimoni’s coastal forests fall under one of 25 initially recognised Global Biodiversity Hotspots, as part of the Northern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic. Whilst our research focuses primarily on the charismatic Angolan Black and White (or Pied) Colobus we also aim to collect data on the diversity of both plant and animal species. And after nearly four years of collecting amphibian specimens in Tanzania, frogs have become a particular favourite of mine, for their remarkable range of shapes, sizes, colours and life histories designed to fill an equally remarkable array of ecological niches. Not surprisingly, the wet season represents the best time of year for finding frogs, when these amphibious animals are at their most active, which our coastal forest research programme is missing out on this year. So I was very excited when the following hopped across my office floor a few evenings ago…
The size, webbed feet, expanded tips of the digits and horizontal oval pupils mark it out as a Hyperolius species, or one of the reed frogs; small climbing frogs with an incredible range of striking colour patterns. Unfortunately the taxonomy is very confusing for this group with scientists still trying to work out relationships between species and sub-species, but it would appear to be a different species to the Hyperolius we had recorded previously, pictured below:
Over the weekend we played host to students from Shimoni Primary School. Friends of Shimoni Forest, who we are supporting in their efforts to seek responsible management of the forest by the community, feel that one of the most effective ways to get their message in to the wider community is by sending home groups of excited children to tell their families what they have learnt. So with the challenge put to us, that is what we set out to do on Saturday… The children begun their day with the theme of ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ before going on to make recyled baskets from paper mache - an activity they found very funny, but once they had dried by the end of the morning and been planted with vegetable seeds, they had the beginnings of their own school vegetable garden. We have started introducing the concept of these little hanging gardens in Mkwiro village, where the goats manage to get to absolutely everything within reach, no matter how clever we think we are getting with fences! The children then settled down to an outside class on the Angolan Black & White Colobus and other primates found in Shimoni before being taken in to the forest to to learn more about it hands-on, including behaviour as they watched a troop of Colobus, and flicking through our books to identify the birds. This is the third such class we have run for Shimoni Primary School and plan to get as many of the children in to the forest as we can to ensure they don’t take for granted their incredible natural heritage.
Following my post on 25th November about the new threat of charcoal burning in Shimoni Forest, and concerns that you shared with us about it, I am pleased to be able to update you with some very encouraging news already! Having started reporting what we observe in terms of clear felling and now the alarming number of charcoal ovens that have sprung up, to Kenya Forest Service, they are taking an active interest. Above: The type of tree often targeted for timber, it’s height and canopy size mean that felling it can create a huge clearing as it takes down neighbouring trees Just over a week ago a Forestry Officer came down to Shimoni to see for himself the scale of clear felling near Transect 1. Yesterday he sent four rangers down, to investigate the charcoal burning on Transect 6. They were dismayed not only by the charcoal burning which they confirmed was all illegal, but also the clear felling of land and the cutting of timber. Above: Saw pit on Transect 6, where timber is cut in to planks before being carried out the forest The four rangers dismantled five of the charcoal ovens and apprehended one of the charcoal burners they came across in the forest. At our request they took him to the village chairman to decide what action to take - an important process in ensuring that it is the local community taking the active role in managing their forest. Above: The gap left by a used charcoal oven in Shimoni Forest We are currently supporting the formation of a new community based organisation to spearhead community conservation and management of their forest and I look forward to introducing you to ‘Friends of Shimoni Forest’ very soon. Watch this space!
GVI’s research team headed back in to Shimoni Forest today, to survey the primates along our Transect 1, which runs parallel within 100m of the coastline - the area of forest at most risk of development. We survey Shimoni East forest on a regular basis to keep track of the presence of the Colobus, including ‘Burundi’ troop who have shown remarkable resilience in maintaining their home range over the last two years in the face of the felling of trees in a plot of land being cleared for development at the beginning of Transect 1. So it was good to hear that Burundi troop were still present with two adult males, three adult females and the sub-adult that we had first recorded as a juvenile three months ago. The team recorded two further troops within 500m along the transect, with the excitng news that one small group of an adult male with two adult females also had an infant present - clearly identifiable as being within 3 months of age by its all-white fur colouration. From 3 months their fur becomes grey with the characteristic black and white pelt colouration showing up after 6 months. The third group, observed in an area where we have often seen an unusual troop of predominantly adult males, contained 3 males, 3 adult females and another sub-adult. However the exciting news from the field today was the presence of an African Fish Eagle nest on the transect… the adult eagles were seen and the chicks heard calling in the trees above although the team couldn’t quite see where the nest was today! We will be keeping our eyes and ears open in future to see how they fare. The African Fish Eagle is a beautiful raptor and, for me, its haunting cries are one of the most evocative sounds of my time in East Africa. Fortunately the team weren’t looking up in to the trees the whole time or they would have missed the hinged tortoise along the transect. We are still uncertain of which species we find here in Shimoni, with the both Bell’s and Speke’s Hinged Tortoises potentially in the area, and to confuse matters more, they may also have the potential to interbreed!
Kenya may be most famous for its incredible big game and open savanna, but its coastal forests, although small, are no less significant for wildlife conservation. The Eastern Africa Coastal Forests Ecoregion is in fact the smallest of 25 Global Biodiversity Hotspots but contains the highest density of endemic plant and vertebrate animal species.
Above: one of the Colobus monkeys spotted during Friday’s survey After two years, it is still a great privilege for me to know that a short walk from my office could bring the opportunity to watch the beautiful Angolan Black and White Colobus monkeys in the canopy above me, or a glimpse of the wonderful Zanj Elephant Shrew darting through the leaf litter. Sadly it is also never far from my mind that any loss of coastal forest brings these creatures a step closer to extinction.
Above: Chainsaws are often heard in Shimoni Forest, this tree was recently cut on Transect 6 That’s why the sudden appearance of charcoal burning pits in Shimoni forest over the last few months has caused alarm amongst our research team and many of our friends in the community. Last Friday, GVI’s research team returned to survey Transect 6, our furthest away, only to return with the sad news that in the intervening few months, 5 charcoal burning pits have sprung up along a 500m stretch.
The illegal felling of these trees to slowly burn them in large earth ovens to produce charcoal not only scars the ground but leaves gaping holes in the canopy where troops of Colobus should be travelling, feeding or simply resting.
Above: Charcoal being packed up along Transect 6 Having recently estimated from our research that 5% of the forest we survey has been lost in just one year to clear felling of land, either for agriculture or development, this has added to a sense of urgency in bringing the local communities and private landowners together in finding solutions to the challenge of safeguarding the forest that remains. |
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