Worrying trends of Biodiversity loss in Kenya
Kenya is one of Africa’s most biodiverse countries, but that diversity is under serious pressure. The trend line is clear: wildlife numbers, species survival odds and habitat quality have been dropping for decades. The boundary for biodiversity loss has already been transgressed in parts of Kenya, leaving many ecosystems at heightened risk of collapse. The scale of wildlife decline Wildlife: Kenya lost more than 50% of its wildlife biomass since 1970. Wild herd numbers in rangelands fell by 68% between 1977-2016. In the Masai Mara, most species declined by 50-80% since the 1970s, including a 90% drop in resident wildebeest. Species at risk: 463 plant and animal species in Kenya are threatened with extinction per the 2017 IUCN list - including 30 mammals, 43 birds, 73 fish and 234 plants. Of Kenya’s 7,000 plant species, 356 are threatened or near threatened, with 24 critically endangered. Survival probability: The IUCN Red List Index shows a downward trend for birds, mammals, amphibians...