Baringo Biodiversity

Baringo Biodiversity

Geological and Natural Heritage


The Baringo Great Rift Valley (BGRV) Geopark is part of the vast Afro-Arabian rift system that extends for 7000 km from the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon through the Red Sea to Mozambique. The proposed Baringo Great Rift Valley Geopark in Kenya is part of the EARS which has evolved through earth history initiated during the Miocene period to the present scenic and architectural beauty of the geomorphological features. The geologic structure is characterized by steep faulted scarps, deep gorges, step-faulted blocks, cliffs, escarpments, cinder cones and craters on the rift floor, horst and graben structures, ramp, box faults, lakes system, gushing geysers and hot springs.

The Rift Valley system and ongoing volcano-tectonic activities characterized by rift basin and volcanic centres. The rocks majorly formed by Cenozoic volcanic activities with isolated centres of sedimentary deposits and Proterozoic metamorphic rocks. The geologic structure includes faults, joints, fractures. The general trends of the faults and joints is north-south. Mineralogy comprises of both Industrial minerals, gemstones. The area has rich geothermal resource currently being exploited including spas and a potential for geothermal power and oil deposits.

Altitude ranges with the highest at Kapkut peak (9185ft) and the lowest at Cheparuas. Key features include closed fresh water (L. Baringo, Lake 94. L. Kamnarok) and alkaline lakes (L. Bogoria). The area has rich geothermal resource currently being exploited including spas and a potential for geothermal power and oil deposits. There are a picturesque and spectacular views of escarpment and imposing fault scarps/cliffs.

The aspiring geopark is part of a biodiversity hotspot classified by Conservation International, centres of endemism and Important Bird Areas as designated by Birdlife International. This can be explained by high species diversity for both plants and animals (including biome restricted) occurring at various altitudes and variety of ecosystems ranging from savanna, aquatic, wetland to afromontane ecosystems. The high-altitude areas are characterized by high rainfall Inventories for species for some sites have been documented. There exists unique species of plants and animals that are of global conservation concern including globally threatened flora and fauna (e.g. leopard, elephants, cheetah, lesser flamingo), range restricted, biome restricted and congregatory species (e.g. flamingos)

Some the geosites within the Geopark are part of the African-Eurasian Migratory flyway – an important passage and wintering sites for migratory bird species. Because of the importance of these areas in sustainable development, they have been gazetted as protected areas including forest reserves, national reserves, community conservation areas or designated as water towers, conservancies under the Kenyan legislation and internationally designated as Ramsar sites under the Ramsar convention on wetlands of international significance (L. Bogoria and L. Baringo) and as World Heritage sites under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention (L. Bogoria). Other sites have also been designated as important bird areas under the Birdlife International designation as well as biodiversity hotspots based on Conservation International criteria (afromontane sites).