Kenya - Mount Kenya

"Situated on the equator about 180 km north of Nairobi, Mount Kenya is a solitary mountain of volcanic origin. A belt of moist Afromontane forest (1,800 to 3,200 meters above sea level) changes to a zone of tree-like heather at about 3,200 meters, and further up to moorlands and grasslands. Mount Kenya National Park was already established in 1949 and became a biosphere reserve in1978. In 1997, Mount Kenya National Park and adjacent forest reserves were inscribed on the World Heritage List. As in several other mountain areas of eastern Africa, Mount Kenya has become under increasing human pressure in recent decades. Assessments have identified the following major threats: illegal logging of camphor (Ocotea usambarensis), cedar (Juniperus procera), wild olive (Olea europaea) and East African rosewood (Hagenia abyssinica), cultivation of marijuana and other crops, abuse of the ‘shamba’ reforestation system, uncontrolled charcoal production, livestock grazing, landslides and fires. Mount Kenya is also important since it constitutes a major water reservoir for its foothills and adjacent areas. Increasing conflicts over water resources provide the background for an assessment of the complex ecological and socio-economic dynamics of the highland-lowland system of Mount Kenya and the adjacent upper Euaso Ng’iro North Basin. The biosphere reserve concept is hoped to provide an efficient framework to implement the recommendations given in both studies. The involvement of society, decision-makers, various institutions and scientists in the planning and implementation is one of the main tasks of the biosphere reserve in the future." Source: UNESCO MAB

Mount Kenya is the second highest mountain in Africa. Mount Kenya National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.