Current conservation status of the genus Kalanchoe (Crassulaceae) in Kenya, East Africa

Reviewed by: The Nature of German Imperialism: Conservation and the Politics of Wildlife in Colonial East Africa by Bernhard Gissibl Andrew Denning The Nature of German Imperialism: Conservation and the Politics of Wildlife in Colonial East Africa. The Environment in History: International Perspectives, vol. 9. By Bernhard Gissibl. New York: Berghahn, 2016. Pp. xiv + 360. Cloth $120.00. ISBN 978-1785331756. Bernhard Gissibl’s The Nature of German Imperialism combines the history of empire, environmental history, and animal studies to offer a fresh interpretation of German East Africa, the German overseas empire, and colonialism more generally. By focusing on hunting (particularly of charismatic megafauna such as elephants) and associated conservation policies in colonial East Africa, Gissibl argues that colonialism was, at its base, “a political ecology constellation that essentially pertained to the land and its properties” (10). Such an argument adds nuance to recent trends in scholarship on the German empire, which has focused on the discourses and culture of imperialism, drawing inspiration from postcolonial theory. However, as Gissibl makes clear, German imperialism had a materiality manifested in patterns of land use and the imposition of imperial order on seemingly disorganized African spaces. Indeed, the conservation of East Africa’s charismatic megafauna became a central concern of the German civilizing mission, at once justifying colonization and shaping colonial policy. The Nature of German Imperialism demonstrates the potential of environmental history and animal studies to complicate and expand scholarship on the German empire. The environmental history of empire has grown markedly in recent decades, but has been dominated by historians of the British Empire, in particular. Historians of the German Empire in Africa have recently joined the conversation: Philipp Lehmann has brought an environmental perspective to German Southwest Africa, and Gissibl’s [End Page 176] book builds on studies of German-Tanzanian environmental relations by Thaddeus Sunseri and Thomas Lekan. Gissibl shows that attention to animals and conservation scrambles the usual temporal and geographical boundaries of German imperialism. He argues that hunting was, in the terms offered by Richard White, a “middle ground”: a common field of action and discourse where Germans and Africans cooperated and shared knowledge and experience. Far from representing the wholesale imposition of German practices onto African societies and landscapes, hunting produced hybrid cultures that traced continuities between precolony and colony. German bureaucrats acted within established networks of African “big men” who translated their control over the ivory trade into political capital. The German colonizers “saw like a state, but acted like big men” (96). Although Gissibl points to the continuities between the precolonial and colonial eras, he recognizes that the years of German rule (1885–1914) marked a definitive change in human-animal relations in East Africa, and that current hunting and conservation practices are indelibly marked by the age of German empire. In geographical terms, Gissibl’s multiscalar approach layers the colonial (East Africa) atop the transimperial and transnational (British Kenya and the British Empire) and the metropolitan (Germany). Conceptions of Weidgerechtigkeit imported from Germany became marks of distinction, not only between Germans and Africans, but between gentlemanly, conservationist German hunters and the capitalistic, damaging hunting practices of Boer ivory traders. But the relationship between colony and metropole was more complicated than the export of policy from Berlin to East Africa. In Gissibl’s East Africa of hunting and conservation, all politics were local, with many hunting ordinances emerging from within the colony, in the context of forging alliances with African “big men.” Chapters 3 and 7 deploy transnational and transimperial lenses to complicate assumptions of Anglo-German imperial rivalry before World War I. Gissibl describes instances of “conservationist internationalism” (112), where officials in German East Africa and British Kenya codeveloped conservation practices that continue to shape land use in contemporary East Africa. Finally, a fascinating final chapter (chapter 8) traces the formulation of German ideas of nature between colony and metropole. Gissibl shows that the Naturschutz and Heimatschutz movements in pre-World War I Germany were indelibly shaped by East Africa, as the German romanticization of Africa’s idyllic landscapes and large mammals shaped metropolitan perceptions of the loss of wilderness at home. The Nature of German Imperialism is theoretically sophisticated and impeccably researched...

Temporal Variations in Malaria Risk in Africa

Following the 2010 Kampala bombings and the high-profile attack on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall in 2013, research on violent extremism in East Africa has focused on Al-Shabaab’s evolution into a persistent transnational security threat. However, the regional advent of Jihadism(s) predates the onset of Somalia’s present civil war. Examining broader historical patterns of politico-religious mobilisation, the report argues that the genesis and expansion of militant Islamist networks in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Mozambique can be attributed, among other things, to the failure of largely non-Muslim post-colonial ruling elites to effectively regulate the Islamic sphere. Specifically, it shows how the disintegration of Muslim contestation movements created a political environment conducive to collective radicalisation. By shedding light on this development, the report provides evidence that while the timing and escalatory dynamics of Jihadist violence and radicalisation have depended on specific domestic context conditions, the overarching trajectories of contentious Muslim politics that have unfolded in East Africa’s religiously heterogeneous societies share crucial similarities.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) remains a persistent public health and social problem among women in Africa, with severe physical, emotional, and sexual consequences that hinder well-being and socio-economic development. Despite ongoing global and regional efforts, evidence on the prevalence and determinants of IPV across East African countries is limited, fragmented, and often focused on single countries. A more comprehensive, regional-level understanding is crucial to guide targeted interventions and policies This study aimed to provide a comprehensive assessment of IPV among married women in East Africa by (1) estimating the prevalence of physical, emotional, and sexual IPV across 12 countries, and (2) identifying individual-, household-, and community-level factors associated with IPV using a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. By integrating multi-country data, the study seeks to generate region-wide evidence that can inform prevention strategies and policy responses to gender-based violence in East Africa. A nationwide community based cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 East African countries as part of the Demographic, and Health Survey (DHS) in the region. The study gathered data from 56,657 married women through structured questionnaires. Descriptive findings were presented as percentages with a 95% confidence interval. To identify factors associated with different types of IPV (physical, emotional, and sexual), a Generalized Structural EquationModel was used. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval were used to determine the significant factors related to IPV. The pooled prevalence of overall IPV in East Africa countries was 38.03% (95% CI: 33.23, 43.08). The highest prevalence of IPV was found in Uganda (53.24%), whereas the lowest was in Comoros (10%). Older age, secondary/higher education, wealth, current working status, attitude towards wife beating, husband’s educational status, husband’s current working status, and husband’s drinking alcohol were factors associated with physical violence. Regarding emotional violence, older age, primary education, wealth, media exposure, current working status, smoking cigarettes, women’s decision-making autonomy, attitude towards wife beating, husband’s education, and husband’s drinking alcohol were significant factors. Finally, regarding sexual violence, factors such as rural residence, better education, wealth, working status, women’s decision-making autonomy, husband’s education, and husband’s drinking alcohol were associated with it. The findings indicate a high prevalence of IPV among married women in East Africa. Key factors for physical violence include age, education, economic status, and attitudes toward domestic violence, while emotional and sexual violence are linked to women’s decision-making autonomy and their partners’ behaviors. To address IPV, comprehensive education and awareness programs are essential, emphasizing gender equality and healthy relationships. Additionally, policies should focus on enhancing women’s economic empowerment and decision-making autonomy, supported by community initiatives to challenge harmful norms.

Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic disease, caused by M. bovis, mycobacteria which belongs to the mycobacterium tuberculosis complex; it is notable for having one of the broadest spectrum of hosts. The preferred host of M. bovis is cattle, but it has the ability to infect humans and a wide range of domestic animals.
\nIn Morocco, cattle production is one of the most important components of the agricultural economy; a sector which contributes heavily to the development of the Moroccan economy. The development of this sector is faced by many problems, like poor infrastructure, lack of services and climate change, in addition to infectious diseases like bovine tuberculosis
\nBovine tuberculosis is a zoonosis which affects the livestock industry, the public health sector and wildlife reservoirs. BTB has also effects like international trade restrictions for countries where BTB is endemic. Tourism and other areas of public and private interest could also be affected indirectly by BTB infection. 
\nThe respiratory route is considered to be the primary mode of infection between cattle. In addition, M. bovis is largely transmitted to humans through consumption of unpasteurized milk, but there is also the possibility of inhalation of aerosols due to contact with cattle.
\nBovine tuberculosis in endemic in Morocco, the prevalence in Moroccan cattle is estimated at 18% (95% CI: 16.5%-20.3%), and 33% (95% CI: 31%-35%) at the individual and the herd level respectively, but the human burden needs further clarification.
\nA prevalence study have been conducted in Sidi Kacem province in Morocco in 2012, 1201 cattle were screened using single comparative intradermal tuberculin skin test, the apparent prevalence was 20.4% and 57.7% in the individual and herd level respectively. The individual prevalence found in the present study is in line with the last national survey conducted in 2004 in collaboration with the FAO in Morocco. Consequently, Morocco is in an endemic stable state, similarly to other African countries.
\nThe livestock production sector in Morocco is continuously growing, due to the ambitious “plan Maroc Vert” launched in 2008, and also to the increasing demand of animal protein in Morocco. Consequently, livestock production system in Morocco is moving to intensified and irrigation rearing systems. Those factors in Sidi Kacem have been shown to be associated with higher risk of BTB compared to the extensive livestock system.
\nIn order to investigate BTB molecular epidemiology in Morocco. Bovine tuberculosis samples were collected from two slaughterhouses in Morocco, Rabat and El Jadida, 8658 animals were examined, 3.7% of them showed gross visible lesions suggesting bovine tuberculosis. However this prevalence reflects the prevalence in young bulls and old cows rather than the prevalence in the whole cattle population. 
\nMolecular characterization of the samples collected from the previously reported slaughterhouses has shown grown cultures in 225 isolates, 63.6% (n=143) have been confirmed to be M. bovis (absence of the RD4). 
\nFrom 134 samples analyzed using spoligotyping, 43 different spoligotypes were found; ten of them were new patterns (23%), they were submitted to the M.bovis database and they were given new reference numbers. The most prevalent spoligotypes were SB0121, SB0265, and SB0120, which were already reported in many other countries, mainly in Algeria, Spain, Tunisia, and also in the United States and Argentina. 
\nSpoligotypes of African 1 and African 2 clonal complexes were not reported among the characterized isolates. Considering the localization of Af 1 and Af 2 in West Central Africa and East Africa respectively, we could consider Sahara as a potential efficient barrier preventing the introduction of BTB to Morocco from West Central and East Africa.
\nMore molecular characterization is needed to investigate the strains circulating in the south and the north of Morocco. In order to investigate more deeply transmission dynamics of BTB in Africa, an overall study using whole genome sequencing and including several African countries is needed.
\nThe present thesis presents the first cattle to cattle and cattle to human compartmental deterministic mathematic model. Bovine tuberculosis reproductive number was consequently calculated, it was found to be equal to 1.375, in the range of both low and high risk areas.
\nThe sensitivity analysis of the model showed that the birth rate and the sensitivity of the single comparative intradermal tuberculin skin test are the most sensitive parameters of the model for the total cost and the time to elimination respectively. High birth rate values lead to an increased cattle population yielding higher costs for elimination. In the other hand, low test sensitivity cases low detection of infected animals and therefore less culling which leads to a longer time to elimination.
\nSimulation of test and slaughter interventions led to a decline of BTB prevalence depending on the proportion of testing (p). Using a severe cut off (2mm) for the SICTT, the time of freedom from BTB ranged from 75 years for p=20% to 25 years for p=50%. The cumulated cost was largely stable ranging from 1.47*10^9 (p=100%, time to disease freedom of 12 years) to 1.87*10^9 (p=20%, time to disease freedom of 12 years).
\nDeterministic and matrix models were used to develop a demographic model of Moroccan cattle population based on real data. The cost of bovine tuberculosis was consequently calculated using the established model. 
\nThe productivity losses triggered by BTB (5%) were estimated for 18 years, applying Leslie matrix with and without BTB. Cattle Moroccan population was compared with and without the disease, and the loss in term of animal numbers was then calculated. Considering the productivity loss, the asset value of the living animals lost due to BTB in year 18 is 98 Million Euro.
\nThe present thesis informs Moroccan stakeholders involved in bovine tuberculosis regarding the updated prevalence in Sidi Kacem Area, molecular epidemiology of BTB among slaughtered cattle, the time frame, and range of cost and levels of intervention, in addition to the cost of BTB considering productivity losses. 
\nFurther research is needed in Morocco, in one hand, investigations of the molecular epidemiology of BTB in the north and the south of the country will give more insight about the dynamics of BTB in Morocco, a broader investigation using whole genome sequencing including several African countries could be even more efficient. In the other hand a herd based transmission model will provide a more realistic cost estimation of BTB intervention in Morocco.
\nElimination of bovine tuberculosis is a costly and long process, the achievement of BTB control of Morocco will need the commitment of the different stakeholders involved. In addition, public-private collaborations could be helpful in order to achieve a sustainable control intervention of BTB in Morocco.
\n

Background: The incidence of Chikungunya in tropical Africa is still of major epidemiological significance. This study aims to determine the prevalence of chikungunya in East Africa through a systematic review and meta‐analysis of published studies.Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search across six electronic databases—Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Google Scholar—using specific keywords to address the worldwide impact of chikungunya following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A meta‐analysis was performed on our eligible studies using the random effect model.Results: Our search returned 40 eligible articles involving 4122 Chikungunya cases in 13 East African nations. These studies, conducted between 2014 and 2024 across 13 East African nations, provided diverse data on chikungunya prevalence. The overall pooled prevalence of chikungunya in East Africa was 20.6% (95% CI: 18.8%–22.5% and I2 = 99.62%). Subgroup analyses revealed variations in prevalence across different countries, study designs, detection methods, and publication years. Notably, Rwanda and Djibouti exhibited high prevalence rates of 63.0% and 50.4%, respectively, while Kenya and Somalia reported a moderate prevalence of 12.2%. The detection methods also influenced prevalence rates, with RT‐PCR studies indicating a higher prevalence (28.3%) compared to ELISA (19.3%).Conclusion: The study highlights the significant burden of chikungunya in East Africa, and the findings underscore the need for targeted public health interventions and improved surveillance to manage and control chikungunya outbreaks in the region.

The Cameroon Volcanic Line, which divides the Congo Basin fauna from the West African fauna, is a known area of high endemism for various taxa, but the region’s bat fauna has received little attention. We review variation in morphological and molecular (mitochondrial Cytochrome b) characters in the Tropical African vespertilionid bat genus Pseudoromicia. Assessment of this variation indicates the existence of a new species of Pseudoromicia, from the Mbam Minkom Massif in the Centre Region of Cameroon. The new species is diagnosable by sequence data and is morphologically similar to its putative sister taxon, P. kityoi, from Uganda. Although we suggest that it be assigned to the IUCN category of Data Deficient, there should be some concern as to the conservation status of this species: the Mbam Minkom Massif ecosystem is threatened due to lack of legal conservation frameworks and exposure to increasing human pressure. The new species is in a clade with P. roseveari and P. kityoi. These three species may be relicts of a single widespread species originating in the West African “white-winged” group of Pseudoromicia that then spread east across the tropical moist broadleaf forest into East Africa, and are now restricted to a few upland rainforest patches in West Africa (P. roseveari), in outliers of the Cameroon Volcanic Line region (Pseudoromicia sp.), and the Lake Victoria area (P. kityoi). The smaller, white-winged species are hypothesized to be ancestral, with one extant putative species (P. rendalli) also extending into East and southern Africa (Van Cakenberghe & Happold, 2013). The larger, dark-winged taxa likely dispersed to East Africa and subsequently back to West Africa (e.g., Pseudoromicia sp., P. roseveari). Our data illustrate the potential importance of the Dahomey Gap and climatic changes in the evolution of this group of species. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:30929BAA-4043-422D-B209-16CAB826043E

Chapter 24 - An overview of potato production in Africa

This dataset contains geological data from the Western Afar Margin (WAM) in East Africa. These in-clude (reprocessed) earthquake data from previously published surveys and publically accessible databases (Keir et al. 2006, 2009; Ebinger et al 2008; Belachew et al. 2011; Illsley-Kemp et al. 2018a, b and the GCMT Project 2019), which form the basis for Seismic Moment Release (SMR) mapping as well as and tectonic stress analysis, revealing the location and intensity of ongoing deformation, as well as the direction of current extension, respectively. In addition, we present various large-scale maps of the WAM, depicting faults, dikes and sedimentary basins as interpreted from topographic indicators. Field data (GPS locations, fault measurements, field book), acquired during two field campaigns in Ethiopia and Eritrea are included, as well as the kinematic interpretation of the field data using Wintensor software (Delvaux & Sperner 2003). These results are combined with previously published kinematic data from Eritrea and Ethiopia (i.e. the northernmost and southern segments of the WAM, studied by Chorowicz et al. 1999 and Sani et al. 2017), yielding the first coherent overview of (current) tectonic deformation covering the whole margin. Note that we also provide a field book with detailed descriptions of every outcrop, including photographs. Finally, we include unique borehole data from the Kobo graben area, based on well logs from irrigation projects kindly provided to us by local geologists during the Ethiopian field campaign (see section 2.5 and the acknowledgements) . Applications and interpretation of the data provided in this dataset can be found in Zwaan et al. (in review). For more description please refer to the data description. This data publication consists of 90 files: (digital) maps, GPS locations, tables, text and Wintensor files. A detailed overview of all files within this dataset is given in the List of Files.

The paper discusses the current status of the inclusion of socio-economic considerations into biosafety and biotechnology decision making processes, laws and regulations in Botswana, Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya and South Africa. The discussion includes relevant issues related to the biosafety and socio-economic assessment processes while comparing and contrasting national regulatory developments with obligations subscribed by parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in Southern and Eastern Africa. The paper also discusses the conceptual issues related to socio-economic assessments relevant to biosafety regulatory procedures including those considered in ex ante assessments for regulatory approval procedures and ex post for post-release monitoring or conventional technology evaluator procedures. The paper discusses practical considerations for the inclusion of socio-economics in biosafety regulatory processes including inclusion options, scope, timing, implementing body, methods, decision making rules and standards, and integration of technical biosafety research and socio-economic into a cogent decision making process. The paper concludes with a discussion of potential implications and positive and negative consequences from the inclusion of socio-economic considerations in biosafety decision making and for the governance of biotechnology innovations in developing countries.

Integrated livestock -fish culture approach envisages the integration of fish farming with cattle, sheep, goat s, poultry, pig s or rabbi t husbandry in a design allowing wastes from one system to be used as input s in another system . The aim is to conserve resources while increasing farm returns . This paper reviews integrated livestock -fish culture in Asia and some Africa n countries towards stimulating growth in East Africa’s livestock -fish integration practices . Livelihood challenges and current status of integrated livestock -fish culture in some segment s of East Africa are discussed . Economic analyses of integrated livestock -fish farming in selected places are presented. Challenges facing integrated livestock -fish aquaculture in the region include: government neglect of aquaculture sector, weak aquaculture research and applications, political interferences as well as social and religious challenges. Poor publicity, poor infrastructure , lack of clear legislations and policies and high illiteracy among potential fish farmers have also been mentioned as bottlenecks to the growth of integrated fish farming in the region. So far, fish -poultry integration is the most popular across Africa and Asia while fish -cattle integration is unpopular in many countries. Livestock manure as source of organic fertilizer for fish ponds and biogas production can help reduce cost of investment in purchasing inorganic fertilizers . With the present high cost of pelleted fish feeds , integrated fish farming stands to reduce the cost of feeding fish while simultaneously increasing the yield , leading to high economic returns. This paper concludes that livestock -fish integration is one of the most practicable solutions to food insecurity and malnutrition in the East African community despite its current poor status. In fact, it could be the forgotten asset that can guarantee present and future aquaculture sustainability in the region. The paper recommends capacity building among stakeholders to recognise integrated aquaculture as a ‘self feeding’ biotechnology unit, which deserves special attention in East Africa.

Epidemiology and management of ocular surface squamous neoplasia in Kenya

Countries in eastern Africa have set aside significant proportions of their land for protection. But are these areas representative of the diverse range of species and habitats found in the region? And do conservation efforts include areas where the state of biodiversity is likely to deteriorate without further interventions? Various studies have addressed these questions at global and continental scales. However, meaningful conservation decisions are required at finer geographical scales. To operate more effectively at the national level, finer scale baseline data on species and on higher levels of biological organization such as the eco-regions are required, among other factors. Here we adopted a recently developed high-resolution potential natural vegetation (PNV) map for eastern Africa as a baseline to more effectively identify conservation priorities. We examined how well different potential natural vegetations (PNVs) are represented in the protected area (PA) network of eastern Africa and used a multivariate environmental similarity index to evaluate biases in PA versus PNV coverage. We additionally overlaid data of anthropogenic factors that potentially influence the natural vegetation to assess the level of threat to different PNVs. Our results indicate substantial differences in the conservation status of PNVs. In addition, particular PNVs in which biodiversity protection and ecological functions are at risk due to human influences are revealed. The data and approach presented here provide a step forward in developing more transparent and better informed translation from global priorities to regional or national implementation in eastern Africa, and are valid for other geographic regions.

Keys and ancillary information are provided to summarize understanding of the diversity of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in East Africa. We reviewed literature and online databases to aid identification of 145 species of bats known to inhabit Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda. National tallies of species were as follows: Kenya, 108; Tanzania, 105; Uganda, 98; Rwanda, 49; and Burundi, 33. Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda harbor three of Africa's four richest known bat faunas, but all are incompletely known. Ordination analysis via multidimensional scaling suggests that the East African bat fauna shares elements with those in North Africa, West Africa, and South Africa. We constructed keys to species, drawing from the literature and modifying or expanding them to suit the East African bat fauna. Insofar as possible, we used characters that are visible externally or through cursory cranial or dental inspection. The keys are organized taxonomically: an initial key to the 10 families of bats in East Africa directs the user to separate keys for each family and, in the case of Molossidae and Vespertilionidae, to separate keys for the more diverse genera. Each key is flanked by a brief introduction, a measurement table containing the ranges of various external and cranial measurements (in some cases augmented by salient diagnostic characters), and individual species accounts. The latter contain scientific and common names, type locality and description, geographic range, and current conservation status as determined by IUCN in 2011. Species of certain vespertilionids are too subtly distinguished and/or incompletely documented to be identified with our keys; additional studies of tragus size and shape, bacular morphology, and call notes will be needed to resolve these species. We conclude with accounts for species that we excluded from the East African fauna (with our rationales) and a list of species that may eventually be added to the East African fauna.

Statistical analysis of within-host dynamics of "Plasmodium falciparum" infections