Caroline
Chebet 10th Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT +0300
Two bird
species endemic to Taita Forest have been classified as critically endangered.
This has
been attributed to extensive logging, forest fires and fragmentation of the
vital ecosystem for farming.
The
birds, Taita thrush and Taita apalis, according to Birld Life International and
International Union for Nature and Conservation (IUCN) Red List, are critically
endangered, meaning, they face high risk of extinction in the wild with their
declining population trend.
Population
estimate shows a declining trend of the birds, with Taita apalis estimated to
be less than 150 mature birds and Taita thrush numbering 930, according to IUCN
Red List.
Taita
apalis currently survives in just four habitat fragments.
Taita
thrush is less known than Taita apalis, but recent assessments suggest dramatic
and rapid decrease as well. Its global population probably ranges between 500
and 1,000 birds and is restricted to just four forest fragments.
The
statuses of the birds were last accessed in October 2016, with IUCN publishing
the new studies in 2018. Still, it remained critically endangered.
‘Most of
the original forest in the Taita Hills has been cleared for cultivation or
reforested with non-native, timber-tree species, and the remaining tiny area is
under serious threat. Lack of clear boundary demarcations for some protected
forest fragments may compromise conservation efforts,” Birldlife International
notes.
In 1997,
population of Taita thrush was estimated to be 1,350 birds, occupying areas of
Mbololo, Ngangao and Chawia.
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