The coastal forest of Shimoni, Kenya: sacred sites as hotspot for biodiversity

Zeno Wijtten1, Emma Hankinson, Matt Nuttall, Inês Gomes, Richard Lemarkat2

1
Global Vision International – Kenya, Shimoni 80409, P.O. box 10, Kenya;
2
Kenyan Wildlife Service, Shimoni, Kenya

Kaya forests are sacred sites, owing their existence to the beliefs and culture of the nine coastal
Mijikenda ethnic groups (Githitho, 1998). Cutting of trees and destruction of vegetation in and
around Kayas was often prohibited by local village elders in an attempt to preserve the historical
and traditional values of these sites. With the history of anthropogenic disturbance in East-
Africa, Kaya forests now tend to be residual patches of the once extensive diverse lowland
forest of the Zanzibar–Inhambane Regional Mosaic (Burgess & Clarke, 2000) and have high
conservation value because of their botanical diversity (Robertson & Luke, 1993). More than
half of Kenya’s rare plants, and many endemic- and rare species are concentrated in the
Coastal Region (Myers et al., 2000).
Because of their widespread distribution and their roles as reservoirs for local biodiversity and
threatened species Kayas are believed to be important as a tool for in-situ conservation of flora
and fauna (Mgumia & Oba, 2003). However as a result of economic, social, and cultural
changes in society there has been a decline in knowledge about, and respect for, traditional
values and many sacred sites of varying significance have been lost (Githitho, 1998).

The Shimoni area includes one of the most extensive remaining coastal forest patches and we
have identified 20 kayas. 273 Species of plant have been recorded with one-fifth of the plant
species endemic to the remnant coastal forest of East-Africa and 24 species classified as rare.
Four of them are considered rare in the world (Barleria whytei, Indigofera tanganyikensis var
paucijuga, Manilkara sp. aff discolor and Queenslandiella sp. aff hyaline). Fourteen other
species are rare in Kenya, while six others are rare on the Kenyan coast.

Inventories of floral biodiversity on sacred sites in coastal Kenya, knowledge on ecology, local
use, historical development and potential for conservation is limited. We provide floral data on
the Shimoni area and sacred sites with aim of providing a basis and incentive for further study
on biodiversity, ecology, history and socio-economic function.

Acknowledgements: We would like to acknowledge the Kenyan Wildlife Service and Friends of Shimoni
Forest for continuous support. We owe gratitude to the elders and inhabitants of Shimoni and Answani,
Kenya for providing indispensable information on many sacred sites.

References:
Burgess, N.D. & Clarke, G.P. (eds) (2000) The Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Cambridge,
UK.

Githitho, A. (1998) Institutional Challenges in Conservation: The Case of the Sacred Kaya Forests of the Kenyan Coast. The
World Bank/WBL’s CBNRM Initiative, Washington, DC, USA. Http://srdis.ciesin.columbia.edu/cases/kenya-006.html [accessed
19 August 2010].

Mgumia, F.H & Oba, G. (2003) Potential role of sacred groves in biodiversity conservation in Tanzania. Environmental
Conservation, 30, 259–265.

Robertson, S.A. & Luke, W.Q.R. (1993) Kenya Coastal Forests: Coast Forest Status, Conservation and Management. WWF,
Nairobi, Kenya.