Kiang’ombe Hill: Where tiny creatures tell a big story

By Howard Atubwa 

The first thing you notice about Kiang’ombe Hill is not what you see, it is what you hear. As dawn breaks over the Embu County horizon, a melody of croaks and chirps rises from the undergrowth. The Savanna ridged frog, that tireless mountaineer, calls from both the base and peak, its voice carrying through the mist like nature’s own clock. Nearby, something even more extraordinary is happening: an endangered Spawls’s pygmy forest gecko clings to a tree trunk, its presence here rewriting scientific understanding of its range. This forest is full of such surprises, if only we can protect it long enough to listen.

But the forest’s chorus is growing quieter each year. Where ancient Podocarpus trees once stood, blackened scars from wildfires now stretch across the landscape. The acrid smell of charcoal kilns hangs heavy in the air, mingling with the earthy scent of freshly turned soil where farms encroach deeper into the woodland. Speke’s hinge-back tortoises, those armoured survivors, find their pathways increasingly blocked by cattle trails and fallen trees. Even the water itself is changing. Streams that once ran clear now choke with silt from eroded slopes, threatening the Marsabit clawed frogs that depend on them.

The tragedy of Kiang’ombe isn’t just what we’re losing, but what we might never discover. That Mt. Kenya dwarf gecko you nearly missed on the tree bark could hold secrets about adaptation and survival. Those variable skinks darting through the leaf litter are invisible engineers of this ecosystem. And the red-headed rock agamas basking on sun-warmed stones aren’t just beautiful, they’re barometers of the forest’s health.

Yet hope persists in unexpected places. Local guides from the Community Forest Association still walk these trails, their knowledge spanning generations. Conservationists are documenting species before they vanish. And the forest itself continues its quiet resistance. Frogs still sing where puddles form, geckos emerge after rains, and seeds take root in the ashes of old fires.

The question hanging over Kiang’ombe is not whether it’s worth saving, but whether we will act in time. This is not just about protecting reptiles and amphibians, it is about safeguarding the water sources communities depend on, preserving a living laboratory of evolution, and honouring a place where wilderness still whispers its secrets. The frogs will keep calling as long as they can. The question is whether anyone will answer.

Kinangop youth step up to save an Endangered bird

By David Magoma

Youth are key to protecting the future of Kinangop’s tussock grasslands, and the endangered Sharpe’s Longclaw that depends on them.

To build this connection, Friends of Kinangop Plateau teamed up with Nature Kenya and the Nyandarua County Government. Their goal? To pass on vital birding skills, spark local conservation careers, and inspire a new generation of citizen scientists.

On 17 April 2025, 34 young people from Kinangop took part in a practical birding and conservation training. The session introduced them to bird identification, habitat protection, and field skills. They also learned how to use birding equipment, understand species diversity, and appreciate the role birds play in healthy ecosystems.

The training was more than just theory. It opened minds to the idea of conservation as a career and a way of life. The participants explored the challenges facing local wildlife, including the threats to the Sharpe’s Longclaw, and discussed how they could take part in protecting it.

As part of the follow-up, the young birders, under the guidance of the Friends of Kinangop Plateau Site Support Group, will now lead monthly bird walks. The first walk was held on Saturday, 10 May 2025.

This is just the beginning. The energy, curiosity, and passion these young people bring could make all the difference for the survival of both the grasslands and the Sharpe’s Longclaw.

Legal Recognition Finally Comes for Taita’s Forest Guardians

By Gilbay Obunga

For generations, the communities living adjacent to the fragmented Taita Hills forests (a Key Biodiversity Area within the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot, sheltering endemic species like the critically endangered Taita Apalis, Taita Thrush, and Taita warty frog) have served as invisible guardians – their silent vigil protecting these critical ecosystems without official recognition. That changed on March 11th when the ink dried on historic Forest Management Agreements, transforming these informal protectors into recognised partners of the Kenya Forest Service. The signing ceremony at Dawson Mwanyumba Stadium marked the end of a 28-year wait for communities seeking legal standing in conservation since Kenya first adopted Participatory Forest Management.

Local elder Clarice Patrick’s hands, which once traced fresh tree stumps after nightly illegal logging, tell the story of this struggle. “We chased them by day,” she recalls, “but without authority, the destruction continued.” Now, those hands help draft firebreak plans and sustainable harvest quotas, embodying a remarkable transformation from passive observers to empowered decision-makers.

Seeds of Transformation
The agreements have sparked an unexpected transformation in which conservation now supports community livelihoods. As County Forest Officer Silvester Mwang’ombe observes, the challenge lies in balancing immediate community needs with long-term conservation – a tension yielding remarkable innovation. Honey profits now fund tree nurseries in a self-sustaining cycle, while patrols train future ecotourism guides, turning conservation into prosperity. Beyond economic gains, the agreements are rewriting relationships with the land – nowhere more visibly than in Ngangao forest, where some trees now bear identification tags in the Taita language, with each name serving as proof of renewed ownership.

John Maganga, Ngangao’s CFA chair, captures the paradigm shift: “We have moved from following distant rules to writing our own.” Delphina Malemba, representing the new generation’s perspective, echoes Maganga’s words. “Our ancestors protected forests out of obligation,” she reflects. “We are acting on evidence – watching springs flow again and wildlife return.” These voices chart the evolution from obligation to invested partnership, where every protected acre nourishes both forest and community.

Branching Out
The model’s success extends beyond the borders of Taita Hills. Taita Sub-County Administrator Ann Mwatika identifies a groundbreaking precedent: “These agreements legally intertwine traditional knowledge with formal conservation.” This innovative approach has already inspired five CFAs from Kilifi County to seek study visits, indicating its potential for replication nationwide.

Work remains to be done. As the ink dries, attention turns to implementation. Communities are establishing management units and initiating education programs like ‘Trees for School Fees.’ For communities, these signed agreements transcend paperwork – they represent generations of stewardship finally gaining legal standing. As the excitement settles in the hills, the communities stand ready to fulfil their ancient covenant, now bearing the full weight of law.

Mobilizing public support for conservation in Amboseli and Kwenia landscapes

By David Magoma

From March 9th to 14th, something exciting happened in the sweeping grasslands of Amboseli and the rugged cliffs of Kwenia. Nature Kenya brought together 14 local community groups – farmers, herders, and women’s groups – to join hands in protecting the incredible wildlife that shares their home.

These landscapes are special. Amboseli, where pastoralists graze their livestock, is also a renowned wildlife sanctuary and home to some of Africa’s most threatened birds, including the critically endangered White-backed Vulture. Not far, Kwenia’s rocky outcrops serve as a vital nesting ground for raptors like the Rüppell’s Vulture, Peregrine Falcon, Martial and Verreaux’s eagles. However, human-wildlife conflict poses a serious threat to these landscapes. When livestock is attacked and killed by predators like lions and leopards, frustrated communities sometimes retaliate by lacing carcasses with poison. Though not the intended target, vultures die after consuming the poisoned carcasses. This practice has led to a sharp decline in vulture numbers.

To minimise the danger and safeguard vulture populations, Nature Kenya is working with the communities to establish Site Support Groups (SSGs) – local networks that will tackle conservation challenges collectively. The groups will spread awareness about the dangers of poisoning wildlife, advocate for community voices in policy decisions, and explore sustainable ways to earn a living while conserving wildlife.

By the end of the engagement, 154 community members (men and women) had embraced the initiative. The next step is to strengthen the groups’ skills and empower them to lead conservation efforts from their villages.

KBA in Focus: Kianyaga Valleys

By: Martin Kiama

Located in Kirinyaga County, Kianyaga Valleys Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) is an idyllic landscape characterized by ridges, valleys and the meandering rivers Thiba and Mukengeria. It consists mostly of privately owned farms and is an important habitat for the endemic and globally threatened Hinde’s Babbler. The species lives in the dense bushes next to farm fences and also along riparian areas.

Despite their natural beauty, the Kianyaga Valleys face significant challenges threatening their biodiversity. The rapid growth in human population and subsequent demand for agricultural land have led to the clearing of bushes, the primary habitat of the Hinde’s Babbler. Local farmers have also planted exotic tree species, like Grevillea, as boundaries, and Napier grass along riverbanks and road reserves. These practices are beneficial to farmers but detrimental to the bird’s survival. Urbanisation and increased infrastructural development projects in the area, like the recent construction and commissioning of Thiba Dam, a large water reservoir, have exacerbated the situation. A recent visit to the site indicated that sightings of Hinde’s Babbler have become increasingly rare and that the community remains unaware of the existence of the KBA.

The future survival of Kianyaga Valleys’ biodiversity is delicate and can only be assured by concerted conservation efforts involving local communities. Community-led organizations like Castle and Kathandeini Community Forest Associations are leading in delivering conservation actions in the KBA. However, more efforts are required to promote practices that support livelihoods and conservation.

There is hope for Hinde’s Babblers, however, as the birds have also been seen in several areas around Thika, near Meru, in Makongo Forest in Makueni and in the new KBAs Mumoni and Mutitu Hills in Kitui County. Some Hinde’s Babblers have even reached Nairobi, with one bird recently caught, ringed and released at the National Museums of Kenya grounds!