East African coastal forests
Patchy, ancient forests behind the coast hold many species found nowhere else.
Behind the mangroves of Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique lie fragments of the Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa, a global biodiversity hotspot. They include the Arabuko-Sokoke and Shimba Hills in Kenya and many small forests in Tanzania's coastal regions.
Why they relate to mangroves
- Rivers that cross them carry water and sediment to mangroves.
- Loss of forest upstream can increase silt and change river flow.
- Both habitats are cut for wood and cleared for farms.
In Atlas. The WWF Kenya Sources holds a Tanzania Coastal Forests layer and forest ranges for Kenya; these become available as the full archive is loaded. The Coastal Forests theme will then show them next to mangrove.
Related reading
More in Knowledge Base
- Seagrass meadows: blue carbon's quiet partner
- How satellites see mangroves
- Mangroves in Africa: the big picture
- Reading the sea-turtle tracking data
- How to read a hot-spot map
- What mangroves do for people (ecosystem services)
- Blue carbon projects and carbon markets
- Mangrove zonation: why different species grow in bands
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