April A August. 1990 
9 
individuals rely on dugout canoes for economic 
gain and cut as many trees as they can. thus 
creating a non-sustainablc harvest, as far as 
conservation is concerned. 
• Most indigenous trees require over 30 years to 
become mature enough to provide good canoes 
let alone food and shelter for the primates One 
wonders who will set standards such that only- 
old unproductive trees are removed and are 
equally replaced by regenerating ones 
• Cutting of trees creates big gaps as a result of 
the felled tree pushing over other trees Because 
Tana gallery forest is fragile and on sandy banks, 
gaps created by fallen trees are subject to being 
enlarged by- wind damage Forest conditions 
deteriorate, giving way to new. emergent, light 
demanding plants and eventual transition from 
forest to bushland takes place, as is the case found 
in Mnazini South Forest This becomes 
uninhabitable to arboreal primates and other 
animals too. 
• How docs one explain honey harvesting in 
Mnazini South Forest''. This is not. and can never 
he. sustainable harvest as somebody kills a tree 
to obtain honey and leaves the rest rotting 
Probably sustainable harvest in Tana could only 
be obtained by use of fronds and withes from 
palms due to their fast development rale. 
• Human population growth today plays a 
prominent, probably predominant, role as the 
main factor in tropical deforestation and in the 
loss of species (Myers 199.1). The human 
population in Tana River is increasing, as it is m 
all other parts of Kenya. On the other hand the 
natural resources in the forest arc either constant 
or decreasing. This means that if use of forest 
resources is to be a course for economically 
maintaining the community, we shall have to 
harvest beyond sustainable margins. This is not 
justifiable from the conservation viewpoint. 
It is evident that some of the few forest patches I 
visited arc denuded although others inside TRPNR and 
outside arc in perfect condition. The situation is lhai 
some local communities arc believed U» lie using the 
forest resources wisely and at a sustainable level Rirest 
patches arc owned by villages or clans and removal of 
trees is controlled by elders This may be in good faith 
for sustainable use and future conservation of the area. 
While this may be true in certain pans, in others they 
seems to have lost direction on utilization of the 
resources and harvesting is not properly controlled The 
fact is. if this continues unchecked, we are going to 
lose a great deal of this unique and rare habitat with its 
meticulous biodiversity. An understanding between the 
stake holders (conservationists and local communities) 
and NGOs working for good of conservation is required 
The time for action is now as "the journey of tomorrow, 
one should start preparing today" 
Joseph Nderifu Kirathe, Research Assistant. Tana 
River Pnmate Monitoring Project. KWS/GEF C/O Zoo 
Atlanta, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 24434. 
Nairobi. 
References 
Butynski. TM & G. Mwangi (1995). Census of 
Kenya's Endangered Red Colobus and Crested 
Mangabey. African Primates 1(1): 8-10. 
Bennun. L A. & P Njoroge (in prep ). A Directory of 
Important Bird Areas. East African Natural History 
Society, Nairobi 
Kingdon. J. (1971) East African Mammals. Vol. 1 
The University of Chicago Press. Chicago. 
Lee. PC.. J Thomback & E.L. Bernett (1988). 
Threatened Primates of Africa. The IUCN Red Data 
Book IUCN. Gland. Switzerland 
Ludwing. DR.. R. Hilbom & C. Writers (1993). 
Uncertainty, resource exploitation, and conservation: 
l-cssons from history. Science 260: 17. 36. 
Myers. N (1993). Populations, environment, and 
development Emironmental Consenation 20: 205- 
216 
RAPTORS AND OTHER BIRDS ASSOCIATED 
WITH THE LAKE BARINGO CLIFFS. KENYA 
Introduction 
Africa has a large variety of raptors (Brown. 1970) and 
yet they are one of the most threatened bird families in 
Africa (Steyn. 1982) While land-use patterns arc known 
to influence raptor populations (Sorlcy & Andersen. 
1994), the absence of "first-world" development and 
urbanization through much of Africa has resulted In 
many regions maintaining healthy raptor populations 
(Brown. 1970) There is a need for long term monitoring 
programmes and recently raptor population data from 
Africa was under the spotlight when information was 
needed on the population status of wintering Lesser 
Kestrels Rilcu natimanni (McCann. 1994). 
Kenya is one of the leading African countries in the 
field of raptor research, primarily due to contributions 
by the late Leslie Brown (e g. Brown, 1980). However, 
some anomalies still exist, such as the apparent scarcity 
of resident Common Kestrels F tinnunculus rufescens 
in East Africa (Brown, 1980) 
W: conducted a survey of cliff nesting raptors on 
the basalt cliffs at l.akc Baringo. Kenya, with the aim 
of documenting the abundance of raptors along the cliffs. 
Study Area and Methods 
I-ake Baringo is a freshwater lake situated in the Rift 
Valley in central Kenva (0° 36'n 36° 0*E). The main 
vegetation type of the area is Acacia woodland 
