Overview
The Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary(THWS) derives its name from the surrounding clusters of hills and is an integral part of the Eastern Arc forests classified as a biodiversity hotspot. Before the establishment of THWS on Bura Block along Mwatate-Taveta Road, the land was used as a game hunting ground. THWS was established in 1970 to make the area more attractive to wildlife and tourists, allow conservation, and promote wildlife viewing. The sanctuary covers an area of 28,000 acres of mosaic habitat where the plant physiognomy is riverine forest, savanna wood and grassland. The vegetation formation is usually dense, stratified and always dominated by Acacia /Commiphora trees and may appear to be evergreen in wet areas such as in the central lowlands of the sanctuary. More than 50 species of large mammals and 300 species of birds have been recorded in THWS.
The sanctuary straddles the Southern Tsavo West National Park and is an important dispersal area and migrating corridor for wildlife between Tsavo East National Park and Tsavo West National Park and making it a highly valued tourism recreational area and of ecological importance. The topography is generally mountainous that offers breath taking landscape views of the Kilimanjaro, Pare, Uluguru mountains and the clusters of Taita Hills with a seasonal river dividing the sanctuary into valleys and lowland plains.
The Greater Mara ecosystem encompasses areas known as the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Mara Triangle, several Maasai group ranches, and several conservancies
