The relevance of data on genetic diversity for the conservation of Afro-montane regions

Molecular data are shedding new light on our understanding of genetic diversity and biological diversity in general. We examine results of recent genetic studies on African birds that document endemic diversity in small, isolated montane forests of Africa. These studies show that levels of genetic differentiation in these isolated montane regions are substantial and indicate little or no gene flow with their closest populations. Although this pattern of locally distributed montane taxa is not something that has gone unnoticed by traditional taxonomists, we argue that many of the small, often outlying areas run the risk of being devalued in conservation planning because these areas generally have comparatively low levels of overall diversity and endemism (especially at the species level). We strongly suspect that other organisms will possess similar patterns of differentiation in Afro-montane regions of Africa and we argue that this information can be effectively brought to bear to highlight the conservation significance of these smaller areas.