Nature Kenya works with 30 Site Support Groups (SSGs) to implement biodiversity conservation actions in 27 Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) stretching from the coastal, eastern, and central to the Rift Valley and western regions of the country. Every year, Nature Kenya organizes a National SSG Workshop where representatives from these community groups meet to share their experiences and learn lessons and best practices for biodiversity conservation.
In 2023, the National SSG Workshop took place in December in Nairobi. Under the theme Local Actions Safeguarding Nature and Livelihoods, the workshop focused on how SSGs are undertaking conservation actions within their localities while improving the livelihoods of communities. Sixty representatives (18 women and 42 men) from 28 SSGs attended the workshop. The 4-day engagement saw the SSGs share their experiences in forest and landscape restoration, site monitoring, locally-led advocacy, participation in policy and legislation formulation and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes, promotion of green value chain and climate-smart production, leadership and governance, resource mobilization, communication and marketing.
The 28 SSGs represented at the workshop made presentations about their 2023 achievements and challenges. The SSGs also used the workshop to set conservation targets for their sites for the year 2024.