Mount Kenya-Lewa Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, inscribed 1978, in Kenya. Situated on the equator about 180 km north of Nairobi, Mount Kenya is a solitary mountain of volcanic origin. A belt of moist afromontane forest from 1,800–3,200 metres above sea level gives way to a zone of tree-like heather at about 3,200 metres, and further up to moorlands and grasslands. Mount Kenya National Park was established in 1949 and became a biosphere reserve in 1978. In 1997, Mount Kenya National Park and adjacent forest reserves were inscribed on the World Heritage List. Mount Kenya is also important as a major water reservoir for its foothills and adjacent areas. Increasing conflicts over water resources provide the background for an assessment of the complex ecological and socio-economic dynamics of the highland–lowland system of Mount Kenya and the adjacent upper Euaso Ng’iro North Basin.