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Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The Cherangani Hills, an old fault-block formation of non-volcanic origin, form an undulating upland plateau on the western edge of the Rift Valley. To the east, the Elgeyo Escarpment drops abruptly to floor of the Kerio Valley, while westwards the land falls away gently to the plains of Trans-Nzoia District. The hills reach 3,365 m at Cheptoket Peak in the north-central section. The hills are largely covered by a series of Forest Reserves. These are made up of 13 administrative blocks, totalling 95,600 ha in gazetted area. Of this, c.60,500 ha is closed-canopy forest, the remainder being formations of bamboo, scrub, rock, grassland, moorland or heath, with c.4,000 ha of cultivation and plantations. Kapkanyar, Kapolet and Kiptaberr Forest Reserves together form a large western block of forest, totalling c.20,000 ha. To the east, the Forest Reserves of Lelan, Embotut, Kerrer, Kaisungor, Toropket, Chemurokoi, Kupkunurr, Cheboit, Sogotio and Kapchemutwa are less well connected. Apart from a large south-eastern block along the escarpment crest, the forests here are fragmented and separated by extensive natural grasslands, scrub and (especially in the central part) farmland. The hills are composed of metamorphic rocks, with conspicuous quartzite ridges and occasional veins of marble. The soils are well drained and moderately fertile, and annual rainfall varies from c.1,200 mm in the east to at least 1,500 mm in the wetter west, which catches the moist prevailing winds from Lake Victoria. The forests are of several different types. The lower western parts of Kiptaberr-Kapkanyar are clothed in
Aningeria-
Strombosia-
Drypetes forest, with a large area of mixed
Podocarpus latifolius forest on the higher slopes. The southern slopes hold
Juniperus–Nuxia–Podocarpus falcatus forest, with heavily disturbed
Podocarpus falcatus forest on the eastern slopes. Valleys in the upper peaks area shelter sizeable remnants of
Juniperus–Maytenus undata–Rapanea–Hagenia forest. Tree ferns
Cyathea manniana occur in stream valleys, and there are patches of bamboo
Arundinaria alpina, though no bamboo zone as such. In clearings,
Acacia abyssinica occurs among scrubby grassland with a diversity of flowering plants. At higher altitudes, the forest is interspersed with a mixture of heath vegetation and swamps, the latter with
Lobelia aberdarica and
Senecio johnstonii. Much of this heathland may be maintained by burning and grazing. Relict
Juniperus and
Hagenia trees occur here and there. Especially in the east, there is a mosaic of vegetation types with little obvious altitudinal zonation, possibly a result of the hills’ varied topography and the long history of cultivation, grazing and fire. The Cherangani forests are important for water catchment, and sit astride the watershed between the Lake Victoria and Lake Turkana basins. Streams to the west of the watershed feed the Nzoia river system, which flows into Lake Victoria; streams to the east flow into the Kerio river system.
See Box and Table 3 for key species. The avifauna of the Cheranganis is characteristic of the highland forests of Kenya west of the Rift Valley, comprising both central highland species and western species. Ecological surveys have recorded over 73 forest-dependent species, none of which is presently globally threatened. Regionally threatened species include
Gypaetus barbatus (one of the last breeding populations in Kenya, nesting on the high peaks),
Stephanoaetus coronatus (widespread in small numbers),
Glaucidium tephronotum (recently recorded in Kapkanyar),
Campephaga quiscalina (uncommon and local; recent records from Kapkanyar) and
Indicator conirostris (uncommon).
Non-bird biodiversity: The ungulate Tragelaphus eurycerus (LR/nt) has been recorded here in the past, but its current status is unknown. The butterfly Capys juliae is endemic to the Cherangani Hills. Two giant senecio taxa, Senecio johnstonii battiscombei var. cheranganiensis and S. johnstonii battiscombei var. dalei, are endemic to the Cheranganis. Two notable lobelias, Lobelia deckenii elgonensis and Lobelia cheranganiensis, are shared with Mount Elgon, as is Alchemilla elgonensis.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The condition of many of the remaining forest blocks in the Cherangani Hills is relatively good, as indicated by the presence of many forest-dependent bird species. The wetter, western block is especially intact. Nonetheless, there are a number of serious conservation problems. These include encroachment, degazettement for settlement, poaching of trees for building or charcoal burning, livestock grazing, and tree-felling by honey gatherers (for honey, or for manufacturing bee hives). Occasional fires, possibly started by honey gatherers, also occur—one destroyed hundreds of hectares in Kapkanyar forest in 1986. Most of the lower slopes of Kapolet forest have been converted to farmland in the last 20 years, and similar threats face most of the forest blocks: subdivision and clearance of Kiptaberr forest, facilitated by an unscrupulous Forest Department employee, was recently halted just before clear-felling began. Grazing is a major concern, especially in Kapkanyar, which borders land occupied by the pastoralist subgroup of the Pokot people. Hundreds of cattle are left to roam in the forest for the entire dry season period, causing enormous damage. As the population outside the forest increases, pastureland diminishes and pressure on the forest rises. Currently the small-scale farmers graze their cattle in pastureland outside the forest, and the large herds in the forests apparently belong to wealthy individuals who are influential locally. Embotut forest has a long-standing squatter problem, with c.5,000 people living within the forest boundaries. These hills have tremendous potential for ecotourism for those visiting the western and north-western part of Kenya. They are scenically beautiful, with undulating forested slopes, cascading rivers and open grasslands filled with wild flowers. Ecotourism could help provide local employment and alternative sources of revenue for those living around the forest. The Forest Department needs to be better aware of the national and global significance of the Cherangani forests and to protect them more effectively. Education of the local people, especially with respect to bee keeping, is important too, and can help to prevent forest fires and tree losses caused by honey gatherers. Honey collection, if properly controlled and managed, can be a sustainable use of the forest and indeed provide substantial incentives for habitat conservation.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Cherangani Hills (Kenya). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/cherangani-hills-iba-kenya on 22/11/2024.
