Category: Blog

By Haggai Okumu
Hellen Meli remembers walking miles with other women in Nandi to find casual work to support their families. For many, it was one of the few sources of income. However, the introduction of a tree seedling project created a new opportunity, improving household livelihoods while reducing pressure on the forest.

“Previously, we women used to walk for long distances looking for people to wash clothes for, but when we started a tree nursery project, many things changed. We can now afford school fees for our children without struggling, and most importantly we no longer go into the forest to cut trees for firewood.”

Meli is now part of Murguywet Community-Based Organisation, a grassroots group championing conservation in North Nandi Forest. She and other women have redirected their energy towards raising 130,000 indigenous tree and fruit tree seedlings at their community nursery in Merekei. Every month, their steady output –selling indigenous seedlings and fruit trees to local farmers and conservation projects – generates roughly Ksh.1.2 million annually, which reaches far beyond daily survival. The group’s work has become a quiet anchor for families, funding school fees, healthcare, and security. And as its reputation grows, so does demand, with seedlings spreading across communities and reshaping both livelihoods and landscapes.

Linking livelihood security with forest restoration didn’t emerge by chance. It began in response to degradation in North Nandi Forest. Local leaders recognized an opportunity: women needed alternative livelihoods, and forests needed restoration. Seedling production proved to be the answer to both.

The outcome has been tangible. Lucy Jepkemboi, a group member, explains that income from selling tree seedlings has transformed their daily lives.

“We’ve used the money we earn to buy gas cookers,” she says. “We no longer rely entirely on firewood from cutting trees for cooking.” This simple change – moving away from firewood – has reduced pressure on the forest for fuel wood.

Earnings stretch further. Women can now pay school fees, buy household items, and build a sense of independence. “We have educated our children and bought many things for our households from this work,” Jepkemboi shares.

The model is gaining momentum in the North Rift region beyond Nandi. Miles away in Kessup Forest, Elgeyo Marakwet County, Florence Cherop and her group have raised more than 1.5 million seedlings. Besides income, the initiative has created jobs in the community and enabled women to register for health insurance schemes.

Success brings its ownpressures. Despite these remarkable achievements, the women still face obstacles. The primary challenge is finding buyers for their seedlings. Water shortages and drought have also affected seedling growth, making it difficult to maintain production.

“We have more than one million seedlings,” Cherop notes. “The challenge is the market, and we lack the resources to sustain the activity.”

Despite these hurdles, the women continue to see possibility. Every seedling raised represents more than a restored tree. It’s a pathway to dignity, proof that women can build secure livelihoods whilst healing the land they depend on.

By Eric Kanundu

On 24 July 2026, two of Nature Kenya’s Site Support Groups (SSGs) – the Mida Creek Conservation and Awareness Group (MCCAG) and the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Adjacent Dwellers Association (ASFADA) – jointly held an event at Mida Creek to mark World Mangrove Day. The event demonstrated something powerful: when communities see the direct benefits of conservation, they show up.

Over 200 people gathered at the site in Kilifi County to plant 6,000 mangrove seedlings, restoring degraded sections of the vital Mida Creek mangrove ecosystem. The enthusiasm was evident. “What I saw was a new awakening,” said Charo Ngumbao, Chairperson of ASFADA. In past years, similar events attracted 50 to 100 participants. This year, demand far exceeded supply. Some latecomers had to leave once seedlings ran out.

This surge reflects communities’ understanding that mangrove health directly supports their livelihoods. Alex Thoya, Secretary of MCCAG, explained that restoration has created income opportunities through tour guiding and other site-related livelihood activities. Community members now earn between KSh 10,000 and 30,000 per month from these activities.

“Every surviving tree makes a difference,” Thoya said. He added that the community’s commitment to mangrove conservation was an investment in their future.

By Richard Kipngeno, Sam Guchu and Fleur Ng’weno

On Saturday 18 July 2026, teams from the Kenya Wildlife Service, National Museums of Kenya, and Nature Kenya fanned out across six Kenyan lakes to count Lesser Flamingos. From first light, they moved between shorelines and high vantage points, tracking thousands of birds across the Rift Valley lakes Logipi, Elmenteita, Nakuru, Bogoria, Magadi and the wetlands of Amboseli.

The work wasn’t easy. In Amboseli, drying, muddy conditions made vehicle access impossible. Teams stationed themselves at distant high points and watched in awe as enormous flocks of flamingos clustered on the last remnants of water in seasonal Lake Amboseli, painting the landscape rose-pink against Mount Kilimanjaro’s silhouette.

In the famous “flamingo lakes” of Nakuru, Elmenteita and Bogoria, water levels have risen, flooding the adjacent landscape, and making the water so fresh that it cannot support enough flamingo food. Lake Magadi told a different story. Much of the eastern and southern sections were extremely dry, with only scattered flamingos in the shallow waters that remained.

It was at Lake Logipi in the remote and rocky Suguta Valley of northern Kenya that the survey team found the entire lake had transformed into a shimmering mass of birds, their pink forms spread across the water.

Living on the Edge

Lesser Flamingos are unlike most birds. They live exclusively on alkaline and saline lakes, feeding on microscopic cyanobacteria that thrive in harsh conditions where few other creatures can survive. They are entirely dependent on these specialised wetlands. When water levels rise or drop or the chemistry changes, thousands of birds may concentrate on whatever suitable water remains, or seek alternative feeding sites.

This dependency makes them vulnerable. Globally, Lesser Flamingos face growing threats from water extraction, pollution, land-use changes, shifting rainfall patterns linked to climate change, and perhaps tectonic movements The birds cannot simply move to other wetlands. They need alkaline lakes to survive.

Beyond their ecological importance, Lesser Flamingos are a major tourist attraction in Kenya, drawing visitors to the country’s lakes and generating income for local communities and the wider economy. Conserving them means safeguarding not only the birds themselves but also their wetland ecosystems, tourism revenues, and livelihoods for hundreds of communities across the country.

Data for Decision-Making

The census gathered vital data to update population estimates and assess wetland health across Kenya. This information will feed into a single-species action plan for Lesser Flamingo conservation, helping guide protection efforts and policy decisions.

Some unexpected data emerged from the survey. While water levels have been rising in most Rift Valley lakes in Kenya and Tanzania, Lake Magadi appears to be drying. Although the water was alkaline enough, Magadi hosted only a few thousand Lesser Flamingos. In Amboseli, flamingos are usually found near Ol Tukai lodge; this time, they were in seasonal Lake Amboseli in large numbers. Lake Logipi is now the newly discovered Home of the Flamingos in Kenya, but it’s seasonal, and may change drastically with a severe drought or the predicted El Niño rains.

Field teams also identified what’s needed to improve future monitoring: better coordination with national birdwatching programmes, longer-range binoculars or telescopes for teams working across vast areas, drone or other aerial surveys for locations too difficult to access on foot, and expanding citizen-science to involve more local observers in tracking these remarkable birds.

Despite logistical challenges, coordination among government agencies, research institutions, and conservation organisations demonstrated the power of collaboration. Seeing thousands of flamingos crowded onto newly recorded sites was a stark reminder of the wonder of Kenya’s wetlands and the urgency of protecting them.

By Boniface Musyoka

Located in the misty hills of Nandi County, the South Nandi Forest Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) is one of Kenya’s vital water sources. This mid-elevation African montane forest, spanning 170 square kilometres, feeds the Kimondi and Sirua rivers, which flow into the Yala River and ultimately into Lake Victoria. Millions of people downstream depend on the water from the slopes of Nandi, from farmers and fishermen to families in their homes.

South Nandi KBA is also a refuge for wildlife from both the montane forests and western rainforests. The globally threatened Turner’s Eremomela bird lives here, alongside other species adapted to highland forest life. Colobus monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, over 250 bird species, diverse bats, and more than 70 butterfly species make their homes among the trees. Indigenous plant species like Prunus africana connect these Kenyan highlands to the vast rainforests of West Africa, linking ecosystems across a continent.

Yet South Nandi Forest faces serious pressure. Rapid population growth has pushed agricultural expansion beyond designated areas. Illegal logging, charcoal production, and livestock grazing deep in the forest continue to fragment the canopy and degrade habitats. These threats destroy wildlife homes and jeopardise the natural resources local communities depend on for farming and water.

Local stakeholders are fighting back. Volunteers from the Kobujoi and Kimondi Community Forest Associations (CFAs) and the South Nandi Biodiversity Conservation Group, working closely with the Kenya Forest Service, are conducting forest patrols, monitoring wildlife, and implementing other conservation activities. These efforts, guided by long-term forest management plans, focus on enforcing forest boundaries and stopping illegal activity.

To reduce dependence on the forest for livelihoods, communities are turning to alternatives. Beekeeping, fish farming, private woodlots, and climate-smart agriculture are generating household income whilst protecting the forest. These nature-friendly livelihoods prove that people can thrive without destroying the ecosystems they depend on.

South Nandi Forest’s future depends on sustained collaboration among government, conservation groups, and local communities. When communities lead conservation efforts, both forests and people can flourish together.