Month: February 2026

By Gilbay Obunga

 

For generations, women across Africa were expected to remain at home, tending households, fetching firewood, and leaving decisions about land and forests to men. But in the misty hills of Taita in Taita Taveta County, Kenya, a silent shift is underway. Women are stepping boldly into spaces once closed to them, reshaping traditions and becoming strong voices for conservation.

 

Despite legal frameworks supporting gender equality, cultural norms have long restricted women’s participation in decision-making. That is changing under the AfricElle project: Women as champions for agroforestry, biodiversity, and nature conservation around protected areas in Africa, sponsored by NABU, the BirdLife partner in Germany. The project, implemented by Nature Kenya, focuses on empowering rural women by strengthening local green, climate-resilient value chains, positioning them at the frontline of conservation efforts.

 

Through this initiative, women are being equipped with skills in agroforestry, climate-smart agriculture, and cooperative development, enabling them to transform their farms into resilient landscapes and their voices into instruments of change.

 

Champions of Change

One of these trailblazers is Valary Nyang’ from Wusi/Kishamba Ward in Mwatate sub-county. She recalls: “I happened to be one of the beneficiaries of training on gender equality, co-determination, financial management, and access to resources such as loans and land organised by Nature Kenya under the AfricElle project. This training was an eye-opener for me.”

 

At first, Valary lacked the courage to stand before people and express her views. But after mentorship from Nature Kenya, her confidence blossomed. She was soon identified as one of five women champions tasked with advocating for inclusion in agroforestry, biodiversity, and nature conservation across the Taita Hills landscape.

 

Eunice Nyambura, a champion representing Chawia Ward in Mwatate sub-county, shares a similar story: “At the initial stages, some people looked down on me and judged me because of my age. But now I’m fully accepted in the community as their leader.”

 

Nyambura’s leadership has grown steadily, and today she chairs a tree nursery group and has helped form new groups, expanding opportunities for women in her community.

 

Eltruder Mbele, another champion from Mghange/Mwanda Ward in Wundanyi sub-county, recalls her own challenges: “I had the opportunity to guide youth addicted to drugs. I encouraged group members to be leaders themselves. Yes, I was chosen to be a member of the board of management in a nearby school. Being accepted by the community members was hard, and coordinating the groups is equally challenging.”

By Knique Okatch

 

Every year on 2nd February, the global community marks World Wetlands Day, this year guided by the theme ‘Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage.’ The theme draws attention to a reality often overlooked in conservation debates: wetlands are living cultural spaces, shaped by the knowledge, values, and practices of the communities who have depended on them for centuries.

 

Kenya is home to a rich network of wetlands, including Yala Swamp, the shores Lake Victoria, the Tana Delta, Ewaso Narok, Lorian Swamp, the lakes of the Great Rift Valley and numerous seasonal wetlands managed by local communities. These ecosystems provide water, food, flood control, and climate regulation. Yet today, many face severe threats from pollution, unsustainable exploitation, land conversion, and climate change impacts.

 

Wisdom Across Generations

Long before modern conservation policies, indigenous and local communities had developed sophisticated systems for wetland management. Seasonal access rules, sustainable harvesting of reeds and papyrus, protection of fish breeding grounds, controlled grazing, and preservation of culturally sacred sites ensured that wetlands remained productive and resilient over time.

 

Yala Swamp, Kenya’s largest freshwater wetland, clearly illustrates the strength of this traditional stewardship. Communities living around the swamp used generations of ecological knowledge to determine when and where fishing could take place, how grazing should be managed, and which areas required protection. Cultural beliefs and taboos helped safeguard critical habitats, creating natural refuges for biodiversity whilst sustaining livelihoods.

 

Today, increasing external pressures such as upstream pollution, large-scale land-use changes, and the erosion of traditional institutions have weakened both the wetland ecosystems and community resilience. When traditional knowledge systems are ignored or displaced, wetlands become more vulnerable and conservation efforts struggle to succeed.

 

Bridging Knowledge Systems

There is growing recognition today that lasting wetland restoration depends on integrating traditional knowledge with scientific research, policy, and planning. Indigenous knowledge offers practical, locally tested approaches that enhance biodiversity conservation, improve water security, and strengthen climate resilience.

 

Nature Kenya’s Site Support Groups are playing a crucial role in making this integration possible. At Yala Swamp and other important wetland sites, these groups connect communities with conservation experts and decision-makers. Through documenting traditional practices, involving elders and youth, supporting sustainable livelihoods, and leading restoration initiatives, they ensure that conservation is both culturally grounded and locally driven.

By Kenneth Gachucha

On 1st January 2026, Nairobi Snake Park received an unexpected New Year’s guest: a nearly two-metre long Egyptian cobra safely captured in the Mlolongo area. This silent, swift, and highly venomous reptile, one of Africa’s most formidable snakes, needed expert intervention after crossing paths with human settlements.

Just weeks after arriving at the park, the cobra surprised her caretakers by laying a clutch of 24 eggs, revealing nature’s fascinating reproductive strategy. Snakes can store sperm for years, fertilising eggs only when conditions such as food availability are favourable.

This wasn’t the Snake Park’s first remarkable breeding event. Years earlier, a rescued puff adder gave birth to an astonishing 68 live young, demonstrating the vital role the facility plays in safeguarding both reptiles and their future generations.

As a rescue, rehabilitation, and conservation centre for abandoned, confiscated, or illegally collected reptiles, Nairobi Snake Park serves as an important hub for public education on reptile conservation. The Egyptian cobra’s successful relocation and subsequent egg-laying perfectly illustrate how expert care can transform a potentially dangerous encounter into a conservation success story.