Kenya - The Meru Conservation Area

The Meru Conservation Area (MCA) lies in the Somali-Maasai Regional Centre of Endemism, an area of some 1.87 million square kilometers, extending from north-eastern Somalia to north-eastern Tanzania and including much of north-eastern Kenya, south-eastern Sudan, parts of Ethiopia and north-eastern Uganda. The MCA is a complex of protected areas along the Tana River that includes the adjacent Bisanadi and Mwingi National reserves, the Kora National Park, and Meru National Park. The complex occupies an area slightly over 5,000 square kilometers. The two parks and the two national reserves constitute an important conservation area in Kenya which is the second largest conservation area after the Tsavo East and Tsavo West and are perhaps one of the remaining true wilderness areas in Kenya and the world. The complex is composed of (i) Meru National Park (MNP) was gazetted in 1966 and is one of the oldest national parks in Kenya.