In the 50s to 70s of the twenties century vegetation scientists and botanists mapped the vegetation and land cover of most of eastern Africa. These maps offer an unique insight in the vegetation patterns in the region. Unique because they were based on extensive field surveys, often in combination with detailed areal photography studies by experienced field botanists and vegetation scientists. These explorers were usually able to create detailed maps of entire countries, something which has become increasingly more difficult since much larger changes and fragmentation of natural vegetation has taken place in the decades since these maps were developed. The vegetation maps were for long periods hardly utilized outside of plant ecology circles and they became largely forgotten. A plausible explanation for the lack of interest in the vegetation maps is that during the period following the completion of the vegetation maps, there was little interest in indigenous vegetation outside of national parks and forest reserves. The main species used for e.g. industrial forest plantations and social forestry woodlots were the species that had been established by the forestry services during the colonial era – mainly Central American Pinus and Australian Eu