Thecoast

alf
orestofShi
moni,Kenya:
sacr
edsit
esashotspotf
orbi
odiver
sit
y

Sacr
edsi
tesandst
udyl
ocat
ion
Kayaf
orest
sar
esacr
edsi
tes,owi
ngt
hei
rexi
st
encet
othebel
i
efsandcul
tur
eof
t
heni
necoast
alMi
j
ikendaet
hni
cgr
oups(
Git
hit
ho,1998)
.Cut
ti
ngoft
reesand
dest
ruct
i
on ofveget
ati
on i
n and ar
ound Kayaswasof
ten pr
ohi
bit
ed byl
ocal
vi
l
lageel
der
sinanat
temptt
opr
eser
vet
hehi
stor
icalandt
radi
ti
onalval
uesof 2
*
t
hesesi
tes.Wi
t
hthehi
stor
yofant
hropogeni
cdi
stur
bancei
nEast
-Af
ri
ca,Kaya
f
orest
snow t
endt
ober
esi
dualpat
chesoft
heonceext
ensi
vedi
ver
sel
owl
and
f
orestoft
heZanzi
bar
–InhambaneRegi
onalMosai
c(Bur
gess& Cl
arke,2000)
1
andhavehi
ghconser
vat
ionval
uebecauseoft
hei
rbot
ani
cal
diver
sit
y(Rober
tson
& Luke,1993)
.Mor
ethanhal
fofKenya’
srar
epl
ant
s,andmanyendemi
c-and
r
arespeci
esar
econcent
rat
edi
ntheCoast
alRegi
on(
Myer
setal
.,2000)
.
Becauseoft
hei
rwi
despr
eaddi
str
ibut
ionandt
hei
rrol
esasr
eser
voi
rsf
orl
ocal
bi
odi
ver
sit
yandt
hreat
enedspeci
esKayasar
ebel
i
evedt
obei
mpor
tantasat
ool 3
f
ori
n-si
tuconser
vat
ionoff
lor
aandf
auna(
Mgumi
a&Oba,2003)
.Howeverasa
Fi
g.1Locati
onofShi
moni
’s3kayaswi
thi
nKenya2,
Afri
ca1.Wi
thKwadegeshr
ine*
,thepower
r
esul
tofeconomi
c,soci
al,andcul
tur
alchangesi
nsoci
etyt
her
ehasbeena ofal
lkaya’
swit
hint
hear
ea.(Approxi
matescal
e1:50,
000)
decl
i
nei
nknowl
edgeabout
,andr
espectf
or,t
radi
ti
onalval
uesandmanysacr
ed
si
t
esofvar
yingsi
gni
fi
cancehavebeenl
ost(
Git
hit
ho,1998)
. Kayasasbi
odi
ver
sit
yhot
spot
s
TheShi
moniar
eai
ncl
udesoneoft
hemostext
ensi
ver
emai
ningcoast
alf
orest
pat
chesand we have i
dent
i
fi
ed 20 kayas.273 Speci
esofpl
anthave been
r
ecor
dedwi
thone-
fi
ft
hoft
hepl
antspeci
esendemi
ctot
her
emnantcoast
alf
orest
ofEast
-Af
ri
caand24speci
escl
assi
fi
edasr
are.Fouroft
hem ar
econsi
der
edr
are
i
nthewor
ld(
Bar
ler
iawhyt
ei,I
ndi
gof
erat
anganyi
kensi
svarpauci
j
uga,Mani
l
kar
a
sp.af
fdi
scol
orandQueensl
andi
ell
asp.af ne)
fhyal
i .Four
teenot
herspeci
esar
e
r
arei
nKenya,whi
l
esi
xot
her
sar
erar
eont
heKenyancoast
.

Fig.2Shunzulanzi.ThisKayaisanisl
andl
ocatedofft
hesout her
ncoastl
i
ne.TheKayai s
madeupoft wopar t
;theisl
andit
sel
f,andacaveopposite.Theisl
andisknownasJabali
cage,asi sthedevil
sj udgementar
ea.Thi
susedf orprayerstoaskforfor
givenessand
protect
ionfr
om thedevi l
.

Fut
urest
udi
es
I
nvent
ori
esoff
l
oralbi
odi
ver
sit
yonsacr
edsi
tesi
ncoast
alKenya,knowl
edgeon a c
ecol
ogy
,localuse,hi
stor
icaldevel
opmentand pot
ent
i
alf
orconser
vat
ion i
s Fi
g.3 (a.)Kil
i
kochanfani(pathofthemonkey)( b.)MsegejuKibandaHongo,Al
though
l
i
mit
ed.Ouronl
i
ner
epor
tspr
ovi
def
l
oraldat
aont
heShi
moniar
eaandsacr
ed mangrovesareharvest
edher e,themangr ovetr
eesl ocat
edwithi
nthekayaarenot .If
si
teswi
t
hai
m ofpr
ovi
dingabasi
sandi
ncent
i
vef
orf
urt
herst
udyonbi
odi
ver
sit
y, anybodytr
iest
ocutmangrovesf r
om withi
ntheshr
inethegodsbecomeangry.Theperson
whocutthemangrovetr
eebegi nstobecomesickanddies.(c.
)Maumbi,t
hecaveopposit
e
ecol
ogy
,hi
stor
yandsoci
o-economi
cfunct
ion. wit
hthefourmzee’
s,Matat
a( FSF)andEkensMai rur
a( GVI).

Cont
actandf
urt
herdocument
ati
on Ref
erences Acknowl
edgement
s
Bur
gess,
N.D.&Clar
ke,G.
P.(ed
s)(
2000)T
heCoast
alFor
est
sof Wewo ul
dli
ketoa ck
no wl
edgetheKe n
yanWi l
dl
if
e
E-
mai
l East
er
nAfr
ica
.IUCN,Glan
d,Swit
zer
l
and,a
ndCambri
dge,
UK. Ser
viceandFri
endsofSh i
moniFor
estf
orcont
in
uous
shi
moni
@gvi
wor
ld.
com,mkwi
ro@gvi
wor
ld.
com su
pp o
rt.Weowegrat
i
tud
et oth
ee l
der
sandin
habi
tant
s
Git
hi
th
o,A.(
1998)I
nst
it
ut
io
nalChal
l
engesi
nConser
vat
i
on:Th
e of Shimoniand Anzuwani
, Kenyaf orprovi
di
ng
Caseoft
heSacre
dKa y
aF o
rest
soft
heKenya
nCo a
st.
The i
ndi
spen s
abl
ein
for
mati
ono nmanysacr
edsi
tes
.
Onl
inedocument
ati
on Worl
dBank/
WBL ’
sCBNRMI ni
t
iat
i
ve,Wash
ing
ton
,DC,USA.
scr
ibd.
com/
gvi
keny
a(expedi
ti
onr
epor
ts,spec
iesl
i
sts) ht
tp
:/
/s
rdi
s.
ci
esi
n.co
lumbi
a.
edu/
cases
/ke
nya-
006.
ht
ml[a
cces
sed
19Augus
t2010]
.
gvi
kenya.
wil
dli
fedi
rect
.or
g(ongoi
ngexpedi
t
ion)
gvi
kenya.
blogspot
.com (
ongoi
ngex
pedi
ti
on) Mgumi
a,F.
H&Ob a,
G.(2
003
)Pot
ent
i
alr
ol
eofs
acr
edg
rov
esin
bi
odi
ve
rsi
t
yconse
rva
ti
oni
nTa
nza
nia
.Env
ir
onme
nta
lCo
nser
va-
t
io
n,30,
259–2
65.

Ro
bert
son
,S.
A.&Luke
,W.Q.
R.(19
93)Ke
nyaCoa
sta
lFo
res
ts:
Co
astFor
est
Sta
tus
,Cons
erv
ati
onan
dManage
ment
.WWF ,
Nai
-
r
obi
,Ken
ya.