BIODIVERSITY IN RAMOGI HILL, KENYA, AND ITS EVOLUTIONARY SIGNIFICANCE

The bulk of Kenyan forests are in the afromontane biogeographical regi on, but the Lake Victoria basin and its biota have been referred to by many biogeographers as an eastern fragment of the Guineo-congolian fo rest. The Ramogi Hill forest in the lake basin receives an annual rain fall of less than 400 mm. Although much of its biota is typical of the Guineo-congolian region, several species of insects, birds, mammals a nd plants have been known to occur in the lowland forests of the Kenya n coast. The presence of taxa in these forests has been attributed to past geological changes and climatic fluctuations during the pleistoce ne period. Migration and dispersal of taxa have been suggested to have been through Kenya Rift or via the southern route of Rukwa Rift. The biodiversity studies conducted indicate that Ramogi Hill has low anima l diversity compared to other forests. However, the importance of Ramo gi Hill may be linked to its biological resources, and cultural and re ligious values accrued by the surrounding local communities. The prese rvation of Ramogi Hill as a reference point for biodiversity and sacre d sites will depend a lot on the influence and participation of commun ities in biodiversity conservation and management programmes.