Tag: feature

Singing and dancing to stop wildlife poisoning

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Nature Kenya’s Simon Shati speaks about the dangers of wildlife poisoning during a community outreach at the Naikarra market, Narok County. PHOTO: REBECCA IKACHOI
Nature Kenya’s Simon Shati speaks about the dangers of wildlife poisoning during a community outreach at the Naikarra market, Narok County. PHOTO: REBECCA IKACHOI

Songs and dances are effective awareness tools. These two mediums, often used to entertain, communicate and transmit culture, have a strong appeal to the public, particularly at the community level. Through such performances people are not only entertained but also get to learn a thing or two.

An awareness campaign aimed at sensitizing communities on the dangers of wildlife poisoning through song and dance took place in Maasai Mara in June. The outreach, involving shows by a troupe of traditional Maasai artists named the Buffalo Dancers, staged a series of public performances at seven markets in seven days. Using songs, choral chants and drama the performers visited Ngosuani, Naikarra, Ewaso Ng’iro, Olpusimoru, Nkeneji, Oloolaimutia and Aitong markets, delivering powerful anti-poisoning messages aimed at discouraging the public from engaging in retaliatory wildlife poisoning.

The markets were targeted as key venues for the performances since they serve as meeting points for people from various areas seeking to exchange livestock and purchase food. Unlike holding public meetings in villages and manyattas, the performances attracted huge crowds, leading to a higher rate of message transmission. Members of public thronged venues where the performances were held, some of them even recording the proceedings on mobile phones to share on social media platforms.

Gauging by its popularity, it appears that the outreach is having a positive impact as an awareness tool. Over 6,000 people were reached through the awareness campaign that was undertaken jointly by Nature Kenya and the Mara Predator Conservation Programme.

Nature Kenya is implementing the “Saving the African Vulture” Project in the greater Mara Ecosystem. The project seeks to reduce poison related vulture deaths as a contribution towards the halting and long-term reversal of vulture declines in Africa.

United in beating plastic pollution

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Plastic pollution is a global problem that many nations are grappling to address. Plastic waste is a major pollutant of our environment and poses a serious threat to the marine ecosystem as well as our very own well-being. This year’s World Environment Day (WED) theme “Beat Plastic Pollution”, with the rallying call: “If you can’t reuse it, refuse it”, sought to promote sustainable initiatives aimed at reducing plastic pollution. Nature Kenya joined the rest of the world in marking this day at various locales across the country.

Kenya became a leader in this effort last year by banning the manufacture, sale and use of plastic bags. A few practical exceptions were made, such as labeled bags for waste disposal. There is still a lot of plastic used in packaging, however, requiring further action.

In Dakatcha Woodland Important Bird Area at the Coast, the event was marked at the Bore Singwaya Primary School on June 9. Vivo Energy Kenya, for the fourth year running, sponsored the event which kicked off with a clean-up exercise at Marafa town. Students from Marafa Polytechnic and Marafa Primary School joined members of the Sauti ya Kina Mama community-based organization in collecting waste materials around the town.

The exercise netted a substantial amount of plastic waste, which included discarded water bottles, containers and bags.

After the clean-up, students from Bore Singwaya, Baraka, Kandunguni, and Kundeni primary schools joined in for the celebrations. Living up to the theme, students from Bore Singwaya Primary School demonstrated how discarded plastic bottles could be innovatively used to drip-irrigate tree seedlings planted to mark the event. The students also showcased other creative ways of reusing plastic bottles.

The event was graced by the Kilifi Assistant County Commissioner Dominic Kinyanjui, who was the chief guest, Kilifi County Environment CEC Kiringi Mwachitu, Garashi Ward MCA Peter Ziro, representatives from the Kenya Forest Service, Bore Green Umbrella, Dakatcha Community Forest Association, Dakatcha Woodland Conservation Group and Action Aid, among others. Over 250 students and 150 community members participated in the event.

The Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Park was the venue for the WED celebrations in Siaya, where over 300 people participated in the event. A clean-up exercise, tree planting session and a bird walk were among activities held to mark the day. Nature Kenya was actively involved the planning for the event. In the Taita Hills, the event was held at the Dawson Mwanyumba stadium, Wundanyi, on June 6, with Nature Kenya participating.

This year’s national celebrations were held at the Kwale Baraza Park, Kwale County, and were presided over by the Deputy President William Ruto on June 6. Nature Kenya was among organizations involved in the planning of the national event.

Mt. Kenya Forest restoration Phase two initiative kicks off

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Ms. Kinya Kimotho plants a tree at Naro Moru to launch phase two of the Mt. Kenya Forest restoration initiative
Ms. Kinya Kimotho plants a tree at Naro Moru to launch phase two of the Mt. Kenya Forest restoration initiative

A target of 53,000 tree seedlings have been earmarked for planting in the second phase of the Mt. Kenya Forest restoration sponsored by Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL). This phase will involve five community forest associations (CFAs): Hombe, Kabaru, Naro Moru, Gathiuru and Ngare-Ndare. The tree-planting exercise was flagged off by KBL’s Finance Director Ms. Kinya Kimotho during the World Environment Day celebrations held on June 5 at Naro Moru, Nyeri County.

A team from KBL, under the staff-driven Kijani Team initiative, joined members of the community in planting 2,500 tree seedlings at Naro Moru. Speaking during the event, Ms. Kimotho, who is also the Kijani Team patron, expressed KBL’s commitment to environmental conservation, particularly the restoration of Mt. Kenya Forest. Ms. Kinya added that KBL was proud to have come this far with the forest restoration programme.

Launched in 2017 by KBL in partnership with Nature Kenya and local CFAs, the Mt. Kenya Forest restoration initiative aims at restoring 250 acres of degraded forest in Mt. Kenya by planting 100,000 tree seedlings by the end of 2018. A total of 47,000 tree seedlings were planted in different blocks of Mt. Kenya Forest in 2017.

The initiative not only contributes to reforestation, but also supports over 30,000 beneficiaries around the Mt. Kenya Forest. All seedlings planted are sourced from the five CFAs. The CFAs are also involved in the planting and nurturing of the trees.

The Mt. Kenya ecosystem provides water to key national parks and generates half of the country’s total hydropower. It is an important water catchment – the source of the Ewaso Nyiro North and Tana River systems, which are vital to Kenya’s economic development, food security and energy generation

The public-private sector partnership for sustainable water flows from Mt. Kenya forest is a Nature Kenya initiative that seeks strategic commitment and support from the business sector to enhance the quantity and quality of water flowing from Mt. Kenya.

Under the initiative, Nature Kenya worked with the five CFAs with financing from KBL. The CFAs received support for establishing tree nurseries with a capacity of 100,000 seedlings for each. Nature Kenya, through funding from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), also built the capacity of four water services sellers (Mt. Kenya Biodiversity Conservation Group, Naro Moru, Gathiuru and Ngare Ndare CFAs) in Mt. Kenya to engage with water buyers, seeking commitment from them to pay back business proceeds for water catchment

Nature Champions: The Dawida Biodiversity Conservation Group (DaBiCo)

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Local environmental groups play a key role in protecting Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) when they become a site support group (SSG).

The Dawida Biodiversity Conservation Group (DaBiCo), formed in 2011, is the SSG for the Taita Hills forest IBA. The group aims to promote community awareness on environmental conservation and alternative livelihoods. It is constituted of five sub-groups operating adjacent to indigenous forest patches, namely: TANACOP (Ngangao forest), Ndumbinyi Plan Unit (Vuria forest), Sufi Self Help Group (Fururu forest), Chawia Environmental Committee (Chawia forest) and Wuchichi Self Help Group (Iyale/Wesu forest). DaBiCo activities include beekeeping, basketry, leatherwork, ecotourism, commercial tree seedlings and fish farming.

DaBiCo manages an eco-resource centre at Ngangao forest. The eco-resource centre supports ecotourism activities and markets nature-based community products. Three tents have been pitched within its compound to provide accommodation for visitors. The group also conducts common bird monitoring in the four forest fragments of Taita Hills and provides data for IBA monitoring.

Visting the Taita Hills? Contact DaBiCo at dabicodawida@yahoo.com

or Nathaniel Mwaumba nathmkombolah@yahoo.com

Mobile: 0719 885265

Keeping the Taita Apalis alive

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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.