Category: Working groups

The Taita Hills, ancient hills rising up from the dry plains, host a rich and diverse range of animal and plant species. Natural forests scattered across these hills are the sole homes to birds such as the Taita Apalis and Taita Thrush.  The Taita Apalis is a tiny bird only found in the Taita Hills –nowhere else. Together with the Taita Thrush, it is considered Critically Endangered – that is, at risk of extinction. As a result, the Taita Hills forests have been designated as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA). The Taita Apalis population has drastically dropped from around 300 pairs to 200 pairs between 2001 and 2017, according to researchers. Currently, the Taita Apalis is only found in four small forest patches in Vuria, Msidunyi, Iyale and Mghange areas. Its population, already small, has been threatened by drought, habitat loss and predation.

Over the years, Taita Hills forests have been undergoing massive degradation. More than ninety per cent of these indigenous forests have been cleared for agriculture and forest plantations, putting at risk the survival of the Taita endemics – birds, amphibians and insects found only in the Taita Hills..

Nature Kenya in partnership with DOF – the BirdLife Partner in Denmark – through funding from the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) through CISU (Civil Society in Development), has been running the “Integrating Livelihoods and Conservation – People Partner with Nature for Sustainable Living” program in the Taita Hills. The long-term objective of the Program is to: reduce the destruction of forested IBAs and contribute to the realization of best participatory forest management practices for the benefit of all.

To achieve the objective, the program is supporting the formation of two Community Forest Associations (CFAs), which is still ongoing, and also facilitated the development of forest management plans for Vuria and Chawia forests. The program is also supporting groups engaged in livelihood activities such as beekeeping, fish farming, tree nursery, handicrafts and butterfly farming.

Protecting the natural habitats of threatened species is key to their survival. To this end, Nature Kenya is piloting a habitat restoration project in two plots in the Taita hills. This project seeks to convert a portion of exotic plantation back to natural forest. Extraction of exotic tree species has been successfully carried out on the plots. Results from this pilot project will provide guidance for upscaling forest restoration initiatives in Taita and other forests in Kenya. Over 15,000 indigenous trees have so far been planted across forests in Taita Hills by various stakeholders.

Additionally, a privately-owned forest plot of about 6 hectares has been leased at Msidunyi. This small forest fragment is expected to provide habitat for six per cent of the world’s Taita Apalis population. Funding for the lease was secured from the World Land Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and African Bird Club.

To minimize dependency on forests for firewood, Nature Kenya has been promoting the use of energy-saving stoves in schools and households. Six primary schools and over 600 households have had the stoves installed. Schools using the stoves have recorded a sixty per cent reduction in firewood consumption and increased learning time for students.

As a way of carrying the conservation message forward, Nature Kenya has been working closely with the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya (WCK) to conduct an awareness campaign highlighting the importance of conserving the Taita Apalis. The campaign seeks to sensitize communities about this threatened bird species via schools near Msidunyi, Vuria, Chawia, Ngangau and Iyale forests.

 

In October 2017 on the sidelines of the CMS COP12 in Manila, Environment for the Americas (EFTA), the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the Agreement on the Convention of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), announced an innovative partnership to boost awareness of the plight of migratory birds around the world. The new partnership formally unites two of the world’s largest bird education campaigns, International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) and World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) in a bid to strengthen recognition and appreciation of migratory birds and highlight the urgent need for their conservation.

From 2018 onwards, the new joint campaign will adopt the single name of “World Migratory Bird Day” and major celebration events will be organized twice a year, on the Second Saturday in May and October.

The new collaboration between the CMS, AEWA and EFTA establishes a single, more unified, global campaign organized around the planet’s major migratory bird corridors. These currently include the African-Eurasian, the East Asian-Australasian, and the Americas flyways.

IMBD was created in 1993 to raise awareness of migratory birds and their conservation throughout the Western Hemisphere. Now in its 24th year, IMBD has grown into a framework underpinning 700 events across the Americas, from Canada to Argentina and more than 15 countries in the Caribbean.

WMBD was initiated by AEWA and CMS in 2006 originally as a way to counter the negative public opinion towards migratory birds due to the spread of the H5N1 Avian Influenza virus. Following the launch in 2006, the campaign was celebrated globally around a central theme each year. A total of over 2,000 events have taken place in 140 countries since the campaign started.

Further updates about the new campaign, including the announcement on the chosen theme for 2018 will be published on both the WMBD and IMBD websites early in the new year. Steps are underway to create a single website for the future campaign.

SOURCE: www.worldmigratorybirdday.org

 

Nature Kenya appeared before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Energy to present recommendations on the Petroleum Exploration, Development and Production Bill, 2017 and the Energy Bill 2018.

Section 107 (1) of the Petroleum Bill 2017 states: “For the purpose of the production and transportation of upstream petroleum, a contractor may erect, fix, install or lay any oil or gas pipelines, other infrastructure or apparatus in, through, upon, under, over or across any public street, road, railway, tramway, river, canal, harbour or national government property in the manner and on the conditions as provided in this Act.”

Section 206 (1) of the Energy Bill 2018 states: “For the purpose of the production , conveyance and supply of energy, a licensee may erect , fix, install or lay any electric supp ly lines , oil or gas pipelines , other infrastructure or apparatus in, through, upon , under , over or across any public Stree t, road , railway , tramway, river, canal, harbour or Government property, including forests , National parks, reserves and heritage sites, in the manner and on the conditions as provided in this Act.”

These two sections appear to give oil companies a free hand to build oil wells or pipelines on any piece of public land, including those that should be protected for the national good.

“The current versions of the Bills allows oil and gas wells and pipelines to be built on any national government property. National government property of course includes national parks, forest reserves, national monuments and heritage sites,” Nature Kenya executive director Dr. Paul Matiku told the committee during the Bills’ public hearing.

Infrastructure builders prefer to build on government property, because it is less expensive to acquire. And yet most government properties are our most valuable assets. These include national parks, the nucleus of our tourism industry, an important provider of jobs and income; national forests that protect our climate, water and genetic resources; and national monuments that honour our cultural history.

Nature Kenya appealed to Parliament to amend the Bills to safeguard national parks, forest reserves, national monuments and cultural sites.

“Allowing unfettered access by petroleum companies to these critical sites is a dangerous move,” Dr. Matiku said.