Kenya is home to over 2,000 fungi and bacteria, according to the Forest Status Report 2024 – Kenya. Globally Kenya is classified as the eighth among the ten mega-biodiverse nations, with over 35,000 species of flora and fauna.

“Globally, Kenya is classified amongst the ten mega-biodiverse nations with 35,000 species of flora and fauna. Out of these, Kenya is home to 25,000 animals (21,575 of which are insects), 7,000 plant species (577 or 8 per cent endemic) and 2,000 fungi and bacteria,” reads part of the report. Others include 1,133 birds, 315 mammals, 191 reptiles, 180 freshwater fish, 692 marine and brackish fish, 88 amphibians.

Kenya has a unique diversity of ecosystems, ranging from mountains, forests, rangelands, arid lands, croplands and urban areas to marine and inland waters.

Susan Kabacia, a research scientist specialising in fungi taxonomy at the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) points that fungi play an indispensable role in many intertwined ecosystems

“They are important to the environment because they help break down organic matter, cycle nutrients and contribute to carbon storage,” she explains.

In this era of global warming as a result of increasing emissions of greenhouse gasses, fungi help store carbon in the soil, which can help reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

In medicine, fungi are used to produce antibiotics, antifungal agents, and other medicines. For example, penicillin is an antibiotic produced from the penicillium fungus

Disappearing diversity
Among those, some species endemic to the forest habitats are found nowhere else in the world and the rich biodiversity directly supports Kenya’s tourism industry.

This diversity is served by the variable ecosystems ranging from marine, mountains, tropical, dry lands, forests and arid lands.

In addition to these are some 467 inland lake and wetland habitats covering about 2.5 per cent of the total area.

National centres of endemism for Kenya include the coastal centre of endemism, recognised globally as the Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa Hotspot, and the isolated mountain peaks of the afro-montane forests, recognised as the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot.

The two centres account for over 80 per cent of endemic species.

Though Kenya is ranked highly, sustainable utilisation of these resources is hampered by inadequate research, bio-piracy, forest degradation, forest fires and climate change.

It was noted that from December 17 2023 to December 15, 2024 there were 778 forest fire alerts from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS).

A total of 356 vascular plant taxa (species, subspecies and varieties) in Kenya have so far been classified as threatened or near threatened. Of these, 24 taxa (21 species) are critically endangered, 111 are endangered (83 species), 167 are vulnerable (128 species) and 67 are near threatened (56 species).

The highest number of threatened species, 95 in all, is found in the coastal forests hotspot, mainly because of habitat fragmentation and the extensive loss of the highly-diverse coastal forest ecosystems such as Arabuko Sokoke forest and the Kaya forests. Threatened species are particularly common in the Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Rubiaceae families.

Research on biodiversity of Kenya’s forests is important for the conservation of forests. There were over 100 permits issued to conduct research in the forests on biodiversity between the years 2007 and 2017.

This confirms the significance of the forests as reserves of our biodiversity which we must conserve for posterity and is yet to be studied.

The Forest Status Report is its first edition prepared to meet the requirements of the Forest Conservation and Management Act, (FCMA) 2016 that requires Kenya Forest Service (KFS) to prepare a Forest Status Report biennially for the Cabinet Secretary responsible for forestry.

The Forest Status Report serves as a comprehensive assessment of the current status of Kenya’s forests by providing a synthesis of management and governance structures, forest cover trends, and conservation status of the forests.

Others include the contribution of forests to the economy, roles of forests in climate change mitigation, and priority interventions to be carried out to ensure the posterity of the forest sector.

The report also aims to inform evidence-based decision-making to guide policy formulation and support initiatives to promote the sustainable management and conservation of Kenya’s forest resources.