Mount Kenya National Park

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Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party Flag of Kenya Kenya
Type Natural
Criteria vii, ix
Reference 800
Region† Africa
Inscription history
Inscription 1997  (21st Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.
† Region as classified by UNESCO.

Mount Kenya National Park ( 0°07′26″S, 37°20′12″E), established in 1949, protects the region surrounding Mount Kenya. Initially is was a forest reserve before being announced as a national park. Currently the national park is within the forest reserve which encircles it.[1] In April 1978 the area was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.[2] The national park and the forest reserve, combined, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.[3]

The Government of Kenya had four reasons for creating a national park on and around Mount Kenya. These were the importance of tourism for the local and national economies, to preserve an area of great scenic beauty, to conserve the biodiversity within the park, and to preserve the water catchment for the surrounding area.[4]

The national park has an area of 715 km² (276 sq mi), most of which is above the 3000m (10,500 ft) contour line.[2][4] The forest reserve has an area of 705 km² (272 sq mi). Combined this makes the area of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 1,420 km² (548 sq mi).[2]

A small portion of this park's borders near heavy populations have electrified fences to keep the elephants out of the surrounding farmland.[5] Volcanic sediment in the surrounding region's soil and the huge volume of fresh water coming down the slopes makes the area particularly favourable for agriculture.[6]

At lower altitudes Colobus and other monkeys and Cape Buffalo are prevalent. Some larger mammals such as elephants range up to 4,500 m (15,000ft).

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kenya Wildlife Service (2007). Mount Kenya National Park. Archived from the original on 2007-06-22. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
  2. ^ a b c United Nations Environment Programme (1998). Protected Areas and World Heritage. Archived from the original on 2007-02-12. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
  3. ^ United Nations (2008). Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest. Archived from the original on 2006-12-30. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
  4. ^ a b Gichuki, Francis Ndegwa (August 1999). "Threats and Opportunities for Mountain Area Development in Kenya" (subscription required). Ambio 28 (5): 430–435. Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. 
  5. ^ Ojany, Francis (August 1993). "Mount Kenya and its Environs: A review of the interaction between mountain and people in an equatorial setting". Mountain Research and Development 13 (3): 305–309. International Mountain Society. doi:10.2307/3673659. 
  6. ^ Speck, Heinrich (1982). "Soils of the Mount Kenya Area: Their formation, ecology, and agricultural significance". Mountain Research and Development 2 (2): 201–221. doi:10.2307/3672965. 


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