BIOTA East Africa - Workpackage(s)

Subproject E04: Flora and vegetation of rainforests in East Africa - conservation and sustainable use

In two isolated rainforests, the Kakamega Forest and the Budongo Forest, the diversity of flora and vegetation in primary and secondary forests was investigated along a disturbance gradient. One of the main aims of the project is to study how ?-diversity changes in different forest fragments caused by anthropogenic and natural disturbance. Furthermore, the differences between forests of different structure, fragmentation and distance to each other are investigated (? -diversity). During phase I and II we focused on inventory of lichens, bryophytes and vascular plants of Kakamega Forest, its surrounding fragments and a transect of forest degradation and fragmentation from Kakamega Forest to Budongo Forest. Also, the plant communities were mapped in order to prepare vegetation and landuse maps. In the third phase, the focus moves besides biodiversity mapping towards conservation aspects. sustainable use, and capacity building. For a successful and smooth transition into the post BIOTA phase, we strengthen our activities to work out useful deliverables, and to ensure that as an exit-strategy the activities will be continued by our Kenyan partners. Consequently, the following objectives and research activities will be addressed in close cooperation with the other BIOTA-East subprojects:

• Continue the permanent monitoring in Biodiversity Observatories;
• Provide a detailed vegetation map already as a tool for the other subprojects as well as for decision-makers and stakeholders;
• Contribute towards a sustainable Management Plan;
• Establish ex-situ conservation sites for medicinal and endangered forest plants in Maseno Botanical Garden;
• Establish a permanent Kakamega Forest biotope exhibition for conservation and education purposes;
• Train Kenyan PostDoc and PhD-students;
• Provide identification guides for lichens, bryophytes, medicinal plants and forest plants in the agricultural landscape.