Southern Range, Kenya Photograph by Mary Rowen   Afrotropics Deserts and Xeric Shrublands   39,000 square miles (101,000 square kilometers) -- about the size of South Carolina and New Hampshire combined Vulnerable

· Arid African Lands
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Arid African Lands

If you traveled from Kenya north into Ethiopia, you'd pass through a relatively large, dry ecoregion called the Masai Xeric Grassland and Shrubland. Rainfall is in short supply in this ecoregion, so grasslands come and go depending on the moisture they receive. But the mammals of the ecoregion are well-adapted to the hot, arid environment.

Special Features

Located in the northern part of Kenya and the extreme southwestern portions of Ethiopia, this ecoregion consists primarily of semi-desert grassland and shrubland. The ecoregion encompasses Lake Turkana and the Omo River delta and includes some savanna woodlands to the west. It also includes the Chalbi Desert, a large, flat depression in the undulating terrain formed on the bed of an extinct lake. Throughout this region, temperatures range from about 64 to 86° F (18-30° C), and rainfall averages between 8 to 16 inches (200 - 400 mm) per year. Although there are few endemic species, the ecoregion is moderately rich in diversity. It is also an important flyway for migrant birds such as the olivaceous warbler.

	With more and more livestock using their watering holes, Grevy's zebras have suffered extremely swift population declines. In Kenya between 1977 and 1988, the population fell from an estimated 13,700 to about 4,300--a 70 percent decline in only 11 years.

Wild Side

A number of large mammals have adapted to the dry conditions of this ecoregion. Grevy's zebras, Burchell's zebras, topi, giraffes, elephants, and various gazelles munch on the plant growth. Lions, leopards, and cheetahs are the main predators. Several animals found here and nowhere else are two species of toad, a frog, and a species of mud turtle. Surrounded by this dry semi-desert ecoregion, Lake Turkana attracts more than 350 aquatic and terrestrial birds, and Central Island is home to a breeding population of African skimmers.

Cause for Concern

This region has a large population of semi-nomadic pastoralists. Most of the habitats in this region have been seriously degraded by heavy grazing of their livestock. Continued human population growth and increased livestock populations are leading to increased soil erosion and the threat of desertification. Overhunting has reduced some species and eliminated black rhinos from the region.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.