Mount Kenya biosphere reserve

Abstract

Mount Kenya rises to 5199 m. a.s.l. and thus a major landmark. The mountain is a Pleistocene composite dormant volcano. It is a major water-tower that serves lowland inhabitants up to the Indian Ocean. It was protected as National Park in 1949 and in 1978, its summit and the Park became a BR and a World Heritage Site in 1999. Its main virtues include a rich biodiversity and the only glacial remnant in the country and its hydropower services the whole country. Mount Kenya Global Atmospheric Watch Station is expected to contribute data from the equator. Its vegetation zonation is one of the global wonders whose preservation is critical. One of the pressing challenges to the mountain is to address the high human population in the transition zone so that man and nature can live in harmony