CHEATING THE CHEETAH...SWARA JANAURY - MARCH 2015 5 the starting line for some crazy rally. It’s the thoughtless nudging up towards a cheetah at rest. It’s allowing a cheetah to

JANUARY - MARCH 2015

T h e V o i c e o f c o n s e r V a T i o n i n e a s T a f r i c a

ARABUKOSOKOKEKENYA’S FAMEDFOREST GETSREPRIEVE

CHEATINGTHE CHEETAH

BETTER VIEWERMANNERS REQUIRED

The East African region is well known for the richness and beauty of its biodiversity. It has been this that has made the region a favourite destination for millions of visitors. But this precious inheritance is under real pressure from unplanned development, mismanagement, corruption, population growth and a lack of understanding that good economic growth depends on maintaining a healthy environment in all its attributes as the platform for development.

The East African Wild Life Society is home grown. We are part of East African Society culture and future. We care deeply, in line with Kenya’s Constitution, which states that everyone has the right to a healthy environment now and for generations to come. That future demands that we keep our biodiversity intact. Therefore the Society has advocacy as a major instrument in addressing the threats we face and we don’t flinch in facing up to that responsibility. But the more support we get, the stronger our voice becomes.

Please therefore help EAWLS by supporting us. This can be done in three ways.

1. Become a member2. Make a donation3. Leave a legacy in your will

1. If you are interested in becoming a member, then this can be done quite easily online by visiting our website: www.eawildlife.org; selecting the click here for more information under the Subscribe or Renew Membership title on the home page, and following the procedures requested.

2. For a donation, we have now made it possible for you to enjoy tax relief if you live in the USA or UK.

• ForUSA,wehaveaformalpartnership with Lewa USA, who enjoy 501(c)(3) tax relief entitlement for donations and legacies. The donations have to be made out to Lewa USA but it is easy to indicate that the donation is committed to EAWLS through the Lewa Wildlife programme. The donation can be made by visiting www.lewa.org or if you would like to make the donation by cheque, please make it out to Lewa Wildlife

Conservancy and mail it to 38 Miller Ave, Mill Valley, CA 94941 with EAWLS noted on the memo line. Credit card donations can be made by calling Lewa USA’s Executive Director, Ginger Thomson at 415.627.8187.

• ForUK,wehavenowregisteredEast African Wild Life Society (UK) as a UK Registered Charity (Charity No. 1153041). Donations would be entitled to tax relief. EAWLS (UK) has a dedicated bank account and the details can be provided by contacting Nigel Hunter at:

[email protected] if you are interested in making a bank transfer. If you wish to use the cheque option, then these should be made out to East African Wild Life Society (UK) and sent to Mrs Emma Stewart, Townend of Grange, Dunlop, Kilmarnock, KA3 4EG

3. If considering a legacy, then please contact Nigel Hunter, who can make useful information available to you.

2 SWARA JANUARY - MARCH 2015

Frontlines5 Editor's Letter16 Chairman's Letter18 Director's Letter20 EAWLS News22 News Roundup

Conservation26 Shillings or Sense? Time to strike the balance in the Mara Jonathan and Angela Scott plea

for a sensible approach to the development of Kenya’s national

treasure.

32 Mara Elephant Project Not just the Animals Colin Church briefs us on how a

project that focuses on protecting the elephant is benefiting to all.

26

39 Losers or Survivors. The Mara's Cheetah adapt to survive

Elena Chelysheva has spent decades studying cheetah and shares some of her insighs and her

fears for this species.

44 Q/A With Jake Grieves-Cook Gamewatchers CEO

Andy Hill talks to the man behind the lauded Porini concept of low-impact, low-density Mara tourism and draws out lessons for Kenyan tourism in general.

48 Community Conservancies in Kenya come of Age

Sophie Harrison launches a regular Northern Rangelands Trust column with a look at what NRT does and how it changes habitat and lives.

Spotlight51 Reprieve for Arabuko-Sokoke

Forest, but for how long? EAWLS writers analyse the

implications of a decision by CAMAC to stop oil exploration in a key piece of coastal forest enterprises.

55 International Coastal Cleanup East Africa Results

Steve Trott gives us the league table of the region’s cleanest beaches and pleas for us to keep beaches tidy.

58 Amboseli Game Camp goes with the solar glow Rupert Watson goes to a camp lit

by solar power in an interesting hook-up between provider and consumer.

SWARA JANAURY - MARCH 2015 3

Conservation Characters70 From a prospective pastoralist to

a convinced conservationist Felix Patton talks to a man who was

brought up thinking wildlife was a hunting opportunity and a nuisance, but is now working in Ugandan conservation.

Portfolio 74 The Hyena hind leg tackle Munir Virani captures in full tooth

and claw colour how a hyena takes down a wildebeest.

Book Review77 Culture Clash By Rupert Watson

39

55 74

60

60 Maasai Olympics. From Lion killing to Athletics Colin Church let's us watch Maasai

test their bravery with sporting kills rather than lion kills in this exciting and now regular Maasai Olympic event.

63 George Adamson roars from the grave, 25 years later Paul Udoto of KWS hails the

relaunch of Kora camp, made famous by George Adamson and Elsa.

On Safari66 Segera Retreat. Where Luxury

and Philosophy Meet Andy Hill basks in luxury at a new

resort blending conservation, art and communities.

A Field Guide to the larger mammals of Tanzania

By Charles Foley, Lara Foley, Alex Lobora, Daniela De Luca, MaurusMsuha, Tim Davenport & Sarah Durant

An App for East African bird watchers By Terry Stevenson and John

Fanshawe with Brian Finch

Rear Window79 A Tale of a tusk with a happy ending Giovanna Girardello shares an

elephant story with a happy ending, for once.


JANAURY- MARCH - VOLUME 39, NUMBER 1

SWARA appreciates the continued support it receives fromFauna & Flora International

Patrons The President of Ken ya

The President of Tan za niaThe President of Ugan da

Chairman Mr. Joseph Gilbert Kibe

ViCe-Chairmen Mr. Philip CoulsonMr. Tom Ferrandes

Capt. John E. Otekat

hon. treasurer Michael Kidula Mbaya

exeCutiVe DireCtor Michael Gachanja

trustees Frederick IB Kayanja

Albert MongiAdalja Mahendra Krishnalal

William Ronkorua Ole NtimamaGeorge Kamau MuhohoMahmud Jan Mohamed

members of CounCil Hon. Wilbur Otichilo

Ms. Cissy WalkerDr. Esmond Bradley Martin

Dr. Margaret KarembuMr. Mike Watson

eaWls missionTo advocate and collaborate on the safeguarding and sustainable

management of East Africa's natural resources

sWara offiCesC/O EAWLS Head Office

P O Box 20110 – 00200, Riara Road, Kilimani, NairobiTel: + 254-20-3874145 Fax: +254-20-3870335

[email protected]

letters to the eDitor: [email protected]

The Impala is the symbol of the East African Wild Life Society SWARA is the Swahili word for Antelope

eDitor Andy Hill

eDitorial boarDNigel Hunter

Michael GachanjaEsmond Martin

William PikePatricia Kameri-Mbote

Munir ViraniLucy Waruingi

Design & layoutGeorge Okello

CirCulation anD subsCriPtionsRose Chemweno

aDVertising / salesGideon Bett

Copyright © 2015 SWARA is a quarterly magazine owned and pub lished by the East

African Wild Life So ci e ty, a non-prof it mak ing or gan isa tion formed in 1961. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means

whatsoever without the written consent of the editor. Opin ions ex pressed by con trib u tors are not nec es sar i ly the official view of the

Society. SWARA ac cepts the in for ma tion given bycon trib u tors as correct.

netherlanDsStichting EAWLSRidderhoflaan 372396 C J Koudekerk A/D RIJN

usaMr & Mrs Harry EwellFinancial Representatives200 Lyell Avenue SpencerportNY 14559-1839

sWitZerlanDTherese & Bernhard SorgenErlenweg 30 8302 Kloten

usaGrant & Barbara Winther867 Taurnic Pl. NWBainbridge Island, WA 98110

finlanD, sWeDen, norWayRoseanna [email protected]+358405355405

afriCan Journal of eCologyThe African Journal of Ecology is Published by Wiley – Blackwell in association with

East African Wild Life Society. Purchase a copy of thisJournal at Wiley Online Library:

http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/aje.

EAWLS WORLDWIDE REPRESENTATIVES


the starting line for some crazy rally. It’s the thoughtless nudging up towards a cheetah at rest. It’s allowing a cheetah to sit on a vehicles’ roof in blissful ignorance of the fact that the beast is probably leaving a “marking” message there by mistake – and that it will get lost in the post the moment the car moves off. And it’s the sheer lunacy of going off road when it is not permitted, or getting out of a vehicle to get even closer to that beast for the prize shot.

Aircraft flying into Kenya all have laminated safety advice for their passengers. Isn’t it time there was a similar document detailing the most sensitive and respectful way to view what is left of our natural heritage?

Andy HillEditor

Would you take your croissant and cappuccino into the Louvre museum? Or vault

the guardrail in front of the Mona Lisa to get a feel of the texture of ancient oil paint? Would you eat crisps, or smoke, in a Church, or double park outside a hospital emergency entrance to pop over to the newsagent? Of course not, you say. That would be unacceptable behaviour completely out of keeping with the importance of the place.

So why do we accept unacceptable behaviour in our Parks and Conservancies, which display ancient treasure we should not touch, have a certain sanctity and contain, in very many cases, species on the verge of the wildlife equivalent of the Accident and Emergency wing – the endangered or extinction list?

Is it because widespread understanding of the uniqueness of such places is not ingrained into our social mores? Is it a sign of human disrespect for the environment, the self-same arrogance that causes conservationists so much grief and the media so much doomsday ink?

Jonathan Scott, Elena Chelysheva and Jake Grieves-Cook all plea for a more enlightened and respected approach to viewing wildlife in the Conservation section of this issue of SWARA, which is devoted to the Maasai Mara. It’s not just the phalanx of 4WDs perched on the riverbank for the wildebeeste migration, looking for all the world like

Would you take your coffee and croissant into the National Museum?

Want to comment onany article? Write to:

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,I have recently returned from a seven-day walk through the wonderful forests of Mt Elgon.

Many of the Elgon caves which were once visited by elephants and other animals for salt are now off limits as they are used for educational purposes. A well intentioned idea which has destroyed the reason the caves were famous and driven the wildlife away. I have visited most of the caves on Mt Elgon. For generations in the past elephants have used the salt in the caves. I fear this phenomenon will no longer be seen.

On previous occasions when I have walked through the forest I have followed game tracks. However these are now overgrown and there was very little sign of any animals in the National Park. In the 1970s and 1980s the Elgon National Park was home to 2000 elephant. There are now less than 100 left. Many elephant were killed for ivory or bush meat during the 1980s and the remaining elephant tend to avoid the park, living further south, where, presumably, they are safer. There is a similar scenario for the previously numerous buffalo herds.

I found very recent evidence of poaching, particularly on the

Elgon National Park and Surroundsmoorlands, including several huts, well used but not at the time I came across them. All the paraphernalia associated with snares and trapping, skins and racks of drying hides were there. It appears that the animals are slaughtered and the meat goes into Uganda for sale as bush meat.

I feel it is essential that a manned ranger post be situated on the moorlands, already accessible by road. At the moment it is too easy for poachers coming from Uganda to enter the park and return with the bush meat. Dogs are used to bail up the buffalo, snares for duiker and bushbuck.

Over the last 15 years I have often had the pleasure of revisiting Mt Elgon, walking for days at time with a group of local people who know and love the area. Fortunately at this time the forest appears to thrive but I fear the wildlife of Mt Elgon will be lost. The numbers of the larger species, elephant, buffalo and Bush buck are barely sustainable.

To address the issue I strongly suggest the use of the local people, Elgon Maasai. The residents of the area have a deep rooted connection to the forest and the land. It would be prudent to train locals to become rangers and custodians of the park, rather than appoint staff from other parts of Kenya who do not

know the local languages, families or traditions. The salaries and wages would then trickle down into the local communities, showing the importance of maintaining the wildlife and keeping the forests free from poaching.

Yours sincerely

Charles Kerfoot337 Balmoral RoadJARRAHDALEWestern Australia 6214

Dear Charles,It is good to hear the concerns that you have outlined as they bring out critical issues that we should be dealing with. As you mention, there is a need for a balance in use of the Mt. Elgon caves to ensure that the original purpose is maintained while at the same time enhancing conservation education about their importance. Forest tracks in the forest should also be well maintained if we are to promote the tourism potential of this area, so their neglect is disappointing. Bush meat is a growing concern and our worry is that much effort is being given to poaching of Ivory and very little effort on this issue that threatens many more herbivores inside and outside our protected areas, and is growing to alarming proportions. We applaud previous conservation work by organisations such as IUCN in the area but there seems to have been no follow up of these efforts. We will pick up the issues that you raise with the Kenya Wildlife Service and other organisations working in the area, but it may take some time to get the results we want.

Michael GachanjaExecutive Director

Response to CharlesKerfoot letter to the Editor

A hut used by poachers inside Mt.Elgon forest.


the Mara Triangle to the west of the Mara River, administered by the Mara Conservancy.

With the Masai Mara National Reserve being of such great importance to Kenya and the world as one of our planet’s most important wildlife sanctuaries it is imperative that it is treated with the respect it so richly deserves. If that happens it will continue to bear fruit for future generations to enjoy - and create revenue and employment on a sustainable basis.

Kind regards Jonathan Scott JonathanI am a board director of Kenya Civil Aviation. I have not come across any helicopter application. I will take it up with the Director General, and update accordingly.

Lucy KarumeMBA, Chairperson, Kenya Tourism Federation,

Chairperson, Tourism Recovery Task Force.


Dear Sir,I refer to the two letters in the last two SWARA issues by Dr. Mordecai Ogada on the subject of "The Next Generation of Conservationists' Talk", and the mention of "lineages shared by the individuals covered in the article".

I think that Dr. Ogada is overcomplicating matters and these lineages are merely in the majority of cases, the new generations taking over the family business!

During my many visits to Kenya, I found it curious that the conservation industry was run predominantly by white expatriates or their children or grandchildren. It occurred to me that most of these families were originally involved in hunting activities and in those days, it was they who were benefitting from the ivory, rhino tusk

Dear Sir,This is a message from the Netherlands. We always watch your programs with great pleasure.

For many years we come to Africa. We have visited many countries in Africa. We love the nature and its people. Like we say: we live in Europe, but our heart is in Africa. The last years we visited Kenya. This year especially to see the crossing of the wildebeests. And we really did see them cross!

But what we also experienced were frequent flying helicopters with tourists to follow the crossing. Every half hour they flew over. We think it is very worrying and disturbing them and nature and should be stopped.

We have no connections concerning wildlife conservation and thought you might be able to pass this message or use your influence. Asante sana, kind regards, Riekje KeijzerRonald and Jannie Lanting

The following exchange of letters took place between a visiting Dutch couple in Kenya, wildlife photographer Jonathan Scott and Lucy Karume of the Kenya Tourist Federation. We are publishing it in slightly edited form, for reasons of length and will keep SWARA readers appraised of any outcome - Editor

Dear Riekje Thank you very much for your kind comments.

We are forwarding this to our friends in Narok County and the Tourism Industry for their comment.

Your email highlights one of our own concerns - PARTICULAR WITH REGARD TO DISTURBANCE AT RIVER CROSSINGS - as outlined in a recent article we wrote for the East African Wild Life Society magazine SWARA due for publication in January 2015.

We are all hoping that the recent Stakeholders Meeting on the Maasai Mara hosted in Nairobi by the Governor of Narok County the Honorable Samson Ole Tunai will bare fruit. I came away from that meeting with the belief that there was a real commitment on the part of both the Public and the Private sector to address the urgent need for a revised Management Plan for the Mara and the implementation of professional management for the whole Reserve of the kind currently in operation in

and cat skin exports. In fact if these individuals had not been so efficient as hunters and shot off so much wildlife, there might be more around today .

Once hunting was banned and then subsequently the live capture of wild animals to supply zoos and safari parks around the world was also banned, what was left, why the conservation industry. A smart career move, and a very worthwhile way of sustaining the privileged life style, that they had grown accustomed to.

In my retirement, I have worked for 26 years, all over the world as a volunteer , on many different conservation projects and in certain instances have funded the projects, if I considered them "genuine". I paid my own air fares, food and living costs. The reason for doing this was firstly to

satisfy an enormous interest in seeing animals worldwide in their natural habitats before they disappear or I die, and secondly to find some worthy wildlife charities to which I could bequeath my personal fortune.

During these 26 years, I found three charities that were really doing sterling work for conservation. The rest were money making operations for the individuals or families involved, and the product or profit centre was usually the conservation of some specific species, with the added kudos of fame by association, very sad. I have not completely given up hope however, as my search continues.

Yours faithfully

Peter Thomas


Dear Peter,There are three issues that Society would like to respond to from this letter. First, changes have taken place in the last 50 years in the way conservation has been handled. This can best be reflected by the very real growth in community involvement in community conservancies and the emergence of NGOs such as the Kenya Wildlife Conservancy Association which give a growing voice to the people of Kenya on wildlife conservation issues. This change is embedded in the recent Wildlife Conservation and Management Act. Secondly, yes family interest in conservation has promoted lineages, but this has led to a continuation of wildlife landscapes that we might not otherwise still have, particularly as our wildlife areas are coming under increasing threat from agricultural encroachment, unplanned settlements, land grabbing and bush meat poaching in particular. But it is also true that these lineages are becoming less dominant as many new conservation faces are emerging. Lastly we do need to be concerned about money making conservation organisations, particularly where a significant percentage of the money raised never reaches conservation as noted by Peter, but we also need to be concerned that NGO funding is not squashed by Government legislation that wants to restrict the NGO voice, because it speaks out against bad Government decision making linked to vested interests.

Michael Gachanja,Executive Director

Response to Peter Thomas letter on Mordecai’s opinion

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It is now six years since I was elected chairman of East Africa Wild Life Society. I took over

from a renowned surgeon and wildlife campaigner, who had managed to steer the Society from a precarious financial position into a financially vibrant organization. Let it be on record that Imre Loefler carefully managed his succession under difficult circumstances. The events that led to me being elected as chairman of the Society went smoothly and I wish to thank all members who were party to that decision.

During my time as chairman, I have tried to improve on Society’s functions over and above the standards set during Imre Loefler’s chairmanship. In particular, I have ensured fiscal prudence and accountability in Society operations. During my chairmanship, the Society has moved out of high budget deficits into financial stability as captured in successive audit reports.

The Imre Loefler talks convened jointly with Karen Club and Muthaiga Club have been well attended and have given the Society good publicity. However, we have not succeeded in reconvening the previous monthly talks. This remains an important issue for intervention by the new Council.

SWARA remains the Society’s key channel for reaching our stakeholders

and making greater impact. SWARA editions have been published on timely basis and have reached more readers worldwide. Many members have attested that the quality of this publication has improved significantly this year. I wish to convey special compliments to the Editor and his staff for their efforts.

Our programmes and projects have registered steady growth and increased impact. The Kenya Forests Working Group has continued to play commendable roles in networking NGOs and civil society for information sharing and mobilizing actions against forest excisions. Let me take this opportunity to offer thanks to the various donors to the Society’s programmes and projects.

In the arena of public policy intervention, the Society has made valuable contributions, particularly in the recent formulation of the new Wildlife Act in Kenya. Some members have contributed articles in the print media to influence policy. I congratulate you on this score and encourage you to keep it up.

Good governance principles call for frequent and orderly change of guard in organizations. I have also reached the age retiring from active public engagements. For example, I have opted to gradually change my residence from

the capital city, Nairobi, to become a gentleman farmer elsewhere. It is in this background that I have proposed to the Council to find a replacement for the position of chairman of the Society. I have advanced this proposal in good time and I am confident that, at the Society Annual General Meeting on December 4th 2014, the Society elected a new chairman to whom I now pass on the baton. The new chairman (Joe Kibe) has served as Vice-chairman of the Society and I have full confidence that the Society will prosper under his leadership. It has been a great honor for me to serve as chairman and I wish to thank members for the support you have given to society activities in various ways. I wish to express special thanks to Council members and Headquarter staff who have worked hard to sustain society activities over the period.

Finally, I wish to take this opportunity to commend the successive Executive Directors (Ali Kaka, Nigel Hunter and Michael Gachanja) for excellent stewardship of Society activities over my chairmanship.

Please receive my best wishes for the year 2015.

Fredrick OwinoChairman

CHAIRMAN'S letteR

Kenya RegularHeath BrandBarkatch Mukholi CliffMonica AzimiStephen RukenWilliam h QuickBarbara HughesLaurie FrydmanGrace MogereJanine MilnePatrick KivondoLouise BarnesJames Ogumbo OmittoDr Derick ChibeuMary Ann Burris

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DIREcTOR'S LETTER

protected areas are contiguous. Again no detailed biodiversity survey was conducted to inform the EIA.

Another notable example that has attracted a lot of attention is proposed oil exploration in the largest stretch of a protected coastal dry forest reserve remaining in Eastern Africa, the Arabuko Sokoke Forest, by CAMAC Energy (K) Limited (See article on Pg 51). Though an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) has been done, no proper structured consultation with stakeholders was done and a CAMAC letter to stakeholders acknowledges this. On November 21, 2014, the company stopped its operations in the forest citing stakeholders concern. No permit to access the forest had been given by the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) though all plans to operate in the forest had been finalised. We and many other organisations, notably members of the Kenya Forests Working Group (KFWG) and Nature Kenya, have petitioned the government and will be following up this issue since stopping their operations in the reserve for now

Important development projects that have a direct impact on our people, environment and natural

resources are being initiated without stakeholder participation and/or ignoring laid down legal procedures.

Today, protected areas in the East African region seem to be no longer protected in the sense that any new development can be undertaken without regard for the legal requirements of the Constitution and laws such as Environment Management and Coordination Act (EMCA).

In certain cases, where the EMCA is followed and an Environment Impact

Assessment (EIA) is carried out, the EIA is approved regardless of quality and content. The stopping of the construction of the 4-km road inside Nairobi National Park by the National Environment Tribunal last year is a result of this practice.

This alarming disregard does not stop with the Nairobi Park. Here are some other examples.

A few months ago, a high voltage line cutting across the Witu Forest in Kenya’s Coast was started. The line cuts through some of the most impressive sections of the small forest, which could easily have been avoided by going around it. No assessment of the vegetation along the line was made, missing the world's only stand of 4 Euphorbia tanaensis and one of the last mature Cynometra lukei by accident. In Kibwezi, the Mombasa - Nairobi power line is passing in between the Chyulu Hills National Park and the Kibwezi Forest Reserve (one tightly connected ecological unit) instead of going through the sisal plantations north of the Nairobi – Mombasa road. There is of course no "in between" as both

East African developments pushing ahead without respect for the law

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does not mean that the matter has died or gone away. Arabuko-Sokoke is rich in the diversity of its birds, mammals, plants and butterflies. It is considered second in Africa, after the vast Congo forest, in importance for the conservation of birds. It is this uniqueness and high biodiversity value that we seek to protect, not just because we are NGO conservationists but because these values are very important to local communities.

Lastly, there is a need to strengthen EIA and licensing process in EMCA to

ensure proper mitigation measures are included in the design of development projects. Essentially the reform should have the developer put up the money for the EIA, but should have no say in selecting who does the EIA and no say in influencing the recommendations. The register of EIA specialists needs to only include independent and qualified professionals, with some independent vetting of the register. The appraisal of the EIA should be done by a panel of experts including people outside the National

Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the institution mandated to implement the Environment Management and Coordination Act. The public consultation process must be transparent and consistent. The EIA licence needs to be done in two parts. The first licence can give the go ahead on the design process, but a second licence must be given based on the final design, that explicitly provides mitigation measures.

The role of EMCA and the processes required, which we believe strongly should be complied with, is not anti-development, but is there to ensure that development follows good environmental practice. There should be no exception to this and Government Ministries should be setting the example.

Michael GachanjaExecutive Director

Another notable example that has attracted a lot of attention is proposed oil exploration in the largest stretch of a protected coastal dry forest reserve remaining in Eastern Africa, the Arabuko Sokoke Forest, by CAMAC Energy (K) Limited.


it is today – with air so fresh and abundant

wildlife” stated Liz Mwambui, a former

employee of EAWLS under the Kenya

Forests Working Group (KFWG). The last

time she was in the forest, the story was

quite different. Instead of a long leisurely

walk, she had joined a team from KENVO

and the then Forest Department, now Kenya

Forest Service (KFS), to walk grids around

the forest, off the beaten path, on a charcoal

search and destroy mission.

David Kuria, KENVO's team leader,

remembers those days only too well. He

informed the participants that it was difficult

to stomach the wanton destruction of the

forest. So together with KFS, members of

the surrounding communities and KFWG,

he championed the group rid the forest of

illegal activities. Their effort bore fruit as was

evident from the flourishing tree and sounds

from the wild.

The participants had an experience of

a life time as they were entertained with

patriotic songs, storytelling, cultural dances,

and disco music around a bonfire. Traditional

food and drink provided by the local

communities kept everyone literally in high

spirit with renewed sense of commitment to

conserve this important piece of history for

posterity.

The event was generously supported by

the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF),

Kenya Charity Sweepstake, Highlands Mineral

Water, PEAK East Africa, the Kenya Wildlife

Conservation Forum, the Kenya Wildlife

Service and the Kenya Forest Service.

EAWLS NEWS

It is 2014 Kenya’s Independence Day

(Jamuhuri) on December 12th and

more than 300 people weave their way

through the scenic Gatamaiyu forest in a

walk to create awareness for conservation

of Kenya’s forests. Crisp clean air meets

birdsong and everyone is in a good mood.

Participants try to keep down their voices so

as not to spook the herds of elephants easily

found in this forest. It was difficult to contain

the enthusiasm especially when the group

reached a waterfall.

The walk organized by East African

Wild Life Society (EAWLS) and Kijabe

Environment Volunteers (KENVO), was an

ode to the freedom fighters and the resident

communities whose rich cultural history

protected the forest in the past. Kenya

Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest Service

personnel with KENVO guides lead the

participants through Gatamaiyu Riverine

forest. The forest, as the participants came

to learn, provided cover and food to the

freedom fighters during Kenya’s struggle

for independence from the British Colonial

Government. The surrounding community

has viewed the forest as sacred and has

protected it over the years. The link between

culture and conservation was the basis for

the inauguration of “Pathway to Freedom”,

to make it an annual conservation walk.

As times changed so did the forest. “A

decade ago, the forest was not as serene as

By Liz Mwambui & Richard Rono

EAWLS Director, Michael Gachanja, centre, receiving the donation from Peter Njoroge of Kenya Charity Sweepstake (KCS) while Richard Rono looks on.


EAWLS NEWS

The South Nandi Forest Reserve is the

main stand of remnant indigenous

vegetation that once covered the

North and South Nandi Forests, including

Kakamega Forests, as one block. The

indigenous forest which is 20,200 ha was

gazetted as a Forest Reserve in 1936. The

forest is home to White-spotted Flufftail

(Sarothrura pulchra) and the endangered

Turner’s Eremomela (Eremomela turneri), Colobus monkey, leopards as well as

numerous species of antelopes, birds

and other vertebrates. The Forest is an

Important Bird Area.

Despite its importance as a Forest and

the constitutional requirement to increase

Kenya’s forest cover, the Government,

through The National Treasury, wishes to

construct a dam project that will comprise a

large-scale water reservoir for water supply,

irrigation, river regulation, flood control

and hydropower production. The 67 m high

and 158m long dam is expected to have a

capacity of 230 million m3, and to produce 50

MW of hydropower giving energy production

of 150 GWh/yr, 33km 132KV transmission

line, 7,251 ha irrigated land (phase 1:3,009

ha) water supply infrastructure to people

in surrounding towns, buildings, roads and

other infrastructure.

The proposed dam will be located at the

confluence of the Kimondi and Sirua river

tributaries which creates the Yala River,

one of the six rivers within the Lake Basin

Region. The Kimondi tributary originates

from the Kingwal swamp north of Kabsabet

while Sirua tributary is from the Nandi Hills.

The Yala River flows for a distance of 212 km

before draining into Lake Victoria through

Yala Swamp. It has a gross catchment of

3262 km2 with an average annual flow of

30m2/sec.

If a recent Call for Expression of Interest

by the National Treasury for the provision

of Transaction Advisory Services for the

development of this dam is ignored, and If

nothing is done to stop the proposed Nandi

Forest Multipurpose Dam Development

inside the forest, it will lead to the clearing

of 1,185 ha of closed canopy rainforest,

including 10 million indigenous trees. The

dam will significantly drain the Yala Swamp,

a wetland of international importance, by

diverting 9% of water from the Yala’s river

to the adjacent Nyando river. In addition the

Among articles in the current issue are:

• FloristicheterogeneityatNgogo,

Kibale National Park, Uganda and

possible implications for habitat use

by chimpanzees

• Locatingelephantcorridors

between Saadani National Park

and the Wami-Mbiki Wildlife

Management Area, Tanzani

• ThepredicamentoftheAfrican

wild dog, Lycaon pictus, is less

precarious than claimed Feeding

ecology of the Ethiopian wolf in the

Simien Mountains National Park,

Ethiopia

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By Jackson BamboKenya Forests Working Group (KFWG)

supposedly diversion of water to the Nyanza

sugar belt will alter local microclimate,

adversely affect farming, and lead to

biodiversity loss and habitat degradation.

The proposed dam threatens wildlife, some

of which are of global conservation concern.

The African Journal of Ecology - A resource for SWARA readers


including the quality and management of

the natural resources.The IUCN Green

List will define success for protected

areas,” says Julia Marton-Lefèvre, IUCN

Director General. “It is about recognizing

those sites that successfully respond to

the challenges of the 21st century and

contribute to the wellbeing of people and

nature.”

(Lewa, Ol Pejeta press releases)

Karisia Walking Safaris was also among

the laurels at the annual Safari awards.

For a second year in a row it received

the 'Best Walking Safari in Kenya' and

two new and unexpected prizes - third

place in the principal award, 'Best Safari

Experience in Africa' and third place in

'Best Guiding Team in Kenya'.

up the Big Life Foundation to addresses

the challenge of enabling people and

livestock to live alongside wildlife through

the development of a model based on jobs

and economic incentive schemes. Today,

Big Life employs over 250 local people as

community game scouts, conservation

administrators, water bailiffs, and

schoolteachers. In 2003, in order to prevent

the virtually certain local extinction of lions

and other great predators, Big Life founded

the Predator Compensation Fund, which has

proven so successful that it has since been

expanded to cover one million acres of the

Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem.

NEWS ROUNDUP

Richard Bonham received the Prince

William award for Conservation. He told

the star-studded London ceremony how a

visit to China had helped him understand

the cycle of greed that provided people with

“whimsical bracelets behind glass display

cases” and said it was time for governments

that permitted such trade to be held

accountable.

Once a safari guide, Bonham's came to

realize that a successful conservation

strategy in the 21st century must be based

on economics, particularly when human-

wildlife conflict diminishes prospects for

families’ prosperity and welfare. He set

Richard Bonham From Guide to Guardian-honouredby Prince William

Second wild to inspire film award announced Nat Geo WILD, in partnership with the Sun

Valley Film Festival and the African Wildlife

Foundation (AWF), announced the second

annual WILD TO INSPIRE filmmaking

competition. The competition will give one

winner the oportunity to travel to Africa

and document wildlife for Nat Geo WILD

viewers. The winner will share their

adventure through a variety of media,

including video diaries, photos, social media

and more, as part of an online companion

to Nat Geo WILD’s signature Sunday night

nature series,Destination Wild.

This year's winner, Dan Duran, is preparing

to travel to northern Tanzania, where he

will spend a month documenting the wildlife

and people of the Manyara-Tarangire

ecosystem. Duran will also film wildlife an

AWF conservation projects at Manyara

Ranch, part of a critical wildlife corridor

between Tanzania's Lake Manyara and

Tarangire National Park.

Kenya’s Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Ol Pejeta one of the only two properties in Africa to feature on the First Green List of honour by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

On November 14, IUCN announced

its first Green List of Protected Areas

in Sydney, Australia. The Green List is

described as "a new and progressive

initiative that encourages and celebrates

the success of protected areas that reach

excellent standards of management."

This list will generally establish the first

global standard for protected natural

and conservation sites.The sites were

evaluated against a set of criteria

Kenya marks heroes day for fallen rangers Kenya Wildlife Service( KWS) held

its sixth annual Conservation Heroes’

Day at its headquarters in Nairobi.

KWS holds the event every year

in honour of its employees who

have lost their lives in the course of

active duty. The Chief Guest at this

year’s event was Chief Justice and

President of the Supreme Court of

Kenya, Dr. Willy Mutunga.

The annual event provides a special

occasion to reflect on the lives of

those who displayed courage and

self-sacrifice in the face of danger

and adversity and to celebrate the

continued commitment by their

remaining colleagues. Most of these

heroes died in combat with armed

bandits, preventing wildlife crimes,

on rescue missions and protecting

people’s lives and property from

damage by wild animals.


NEWS ROUND-UP

At a regional summit focused on combating

wildlife crime, African Wildlife Foundation

(AWF) CEO Patrick Bergin called for the

political will to prosecute wildlife crime at

all levels of society, from the poacher to the

corrupt government official. “Many good

things are being done to fight the illegal

wildlife trade, but the sun still shines on the

traffickers. Virtually no one anywhere is

being indicted, prosecuted, convicted and

sentenced,” said Bergin at the two-day

summit.

diplomats and criminal syndicates working

together to ferry illegal ivory from Tanzania to

China via diplomatic bags and planes.

African Wildlife Foundation CEO speaks out at Tanzania Summit on Wildlife Crime

Luanda – the largest illegal ivory market in Southern AfricaResearch by Esmond Martin and

Lucy Vigne shows that the Angolan

capital, Luanda, has the largest

illegal retail ivory market in southern

Africa. In early 2014 they counted

10,888 recently carved ivory items

without proper documentation – and

thus illegal. Tusks can be obtained

wholesale in Luanda for $150-250

per kg. More than 90% of the worked

ivory on display was in Mercardo

de Atesanato in Benefica on the

southern outskirts of Luanda. Vendors

were from the Democratic Republic

of Congo, Congo and Angola and

buyers were nearly all Chinese.

(Pachyderm magazine)

“In the 1980s, Africa went from having

1.3 million elephants to 600,000. Will the

population have to be halved again for us

to have the political will to prosecute these

crimes?” Bergin added: “Governments and

stakeholders have held many big meetings,

and there has been plenty of agreement

on the need to halt this horrific trade, but

cases are still not being prosecuted enough

in Africa, the United States, Europe or

Asia. When people start receiving punitive

sentences and going to jail, the traffickers

will realize the weather has shifted.”

The first day of the summit kicked off

under a dark cloud after a London-based

NGO released a report accusing Tanzanian

and Chinese officials at nearly every level

of government of colluding in the illegal

ivory trade and directly contributing to the

decimation of Tanzania’s elephants. In the

report, “Vanishing Point: Criminality, Corruption

and the Devastation of Tanzania’s Elephants,”

the Environmental Invesitgation Agency

cites instances of Tanzanian officials, Chinese


NEWS ROUND-UP

Tour operators across Africa are reporting

the biggest drop in business in living

memory. A specialist travel agency,

SafariBookings.com, says a survey of 500

operators in September showed a fall in

bookings of between 20% and 70%. Since

then the trend has accelerated, especially

in Botswana, Kenya, South Africa and

Tanzania. Several American and European

agents have stopped offering African

tours for the time being. The reason is the

outbreak of the Ebola virus in west Africa,

which has killed more than 5,000 people.

The epidemic is taking place far from the big

safari destinations in eastern and southern

Africa as far or farther than the homes of

many European tourists. There are more air

links from west Africa to Europe than to the

Don’t buy ivory. ever!A NEW CAMPAIGN CALLS ON CONSUMERSWildAid, African Wildlife Foundation (AWF),

Save the Elephants and Animal Planet are

calling on the public to do its part to end the

ivory poaching crisis by taking the Ivory Free

pledge at ivoryfree.org. The new campaign

asks consumers to pledge to never buy,

own or accept ivory as gifts, and to support

stronger government bans and actions to

tackle the illegal ivory trade.

Says African Wildlife Foundation CEO

Patrick Bergin: “It’s about building a critical

mass of support. The more people who sit

up and pay attention to what is happening

to Africa’s elephants; the more people who

champion this cause and demand action

from their governments on this crisis, the

harder it will be to ignore the uproar.”

The Ivory Free partnership has been

launched in conjunction with the premiere

of “Saving Africa’s Giants with Yao Ming”-

a new program that follows WildAid

ambassador and former NBA star Yao Ming

on a journey to Africa to see its natural

beauty and witness the devastating elephant

and rhino poaching crisis. The ivory-free

website and program are part of a larger

ivory demand reduction campaign involving

WildAid, AWF and Save the Elephants,

featuring celebrities in public service

announcements aired throughout China and

other countries.

“We all share this planet with each other

and with these majestic animals. We all

have a responsibility to do something to

save Africa’s elephants. We all have to do

our part. I’m doing mine, and you can do

yours by going to ivoryfree.org and taking

the pledge,” says WildAid Ambassador Yao

Ming. (AWF)

WildAid Ambassador and former NBA star Yao Ming

rest of the continent, whose airlines have in

any case largely suspended flights.Moreover

Ebola is hardly the biggest killer disease in

Africa (AIDS and malaria are bigger). Yet, in

the mind of many visitors, all of Africa is a

single country.

One despairing tour operator calls it an

“epidemic of ignorance”.Directly and

indirectly, tourism accounts for almost 10%

of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP and pays the

salaries of millions of people. The industry

is worth about $170 billion a year. In 2013

more than 36m people visited Africa, a

figure that had been growing by 6% per

year. Now many safari lodges are closer to

extinction than the animals that surround

them.

The Zoological Society of London

(ZSL) joined forces with eight

other world-leading conservation

organisations (African Wildlife

Foundation, Fauna & Flora

International, Frankfurt Zoological

Society, Royal Society for the

Protection of Birds, The Nature

Conservancy, The WILD Foundation,

Wildlife Conservation Society and

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to

call for urgent action to protect natural

and mixed UNESCO World Heritage

sites from industrial mining, oil and

gas activities. The joint ‘no-go’ and

‘no-impact’ statement was presented

at the IUCN World Parks Congres in

Sydney, Australia.

Despite international recognition as

flagship protected areas, the growing

demand for natural resources has

meant that around a quarter of natural

World Heritage sites are now under

threat from commercial mining. (See

Conservation section, Arabuko-Sokoke

forest story on pg 51) The resulting

environmental impacts may not

only lead to loss of status as a World

Heritage Site but, more importantly,

potentially irreversible habitat and

species loss that will have wide-

ranging repercussions for generations

to come.

Nine global NGOs call for ban on mining in World Heritage sites


NEWS ROUND-UP

AT LEAST 30% of the world's oceans should

be protected as marine parks where fishing

and mining are banned, according to a new

target set at the close of the International

Union for the Conservation of Nature's

(IUCN) World Parks Congress in Sydney.

The sharply increased target was drawn up

by conservationists and is based on more

than 80 scientific studies. Currently just two

per cent of the world's ocean environment is

protected.

During the closing session, representatives

of several countries, including Brazil, Gabon,

Hundreds of key sites for nature threatened with destruction

More than 350 of the planet’s most

important sites for nature are threatened

with being lost for ever according to a new

report by BirdLife International.

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs)

are places of international significance for

the conservation of the world’s birds and

other nature, with over 12,000 identified

worldwide. IBAs are the largest and most

comprehensive global network of important

sites for nature conservation. Now, 356

of these – known as ‘IBAs in Danger’ –

have been identified in 122 countries and

territories as being in imminent danger of

being lost. About half of these are legally

protected, which highlights the importance

of improving the management effectiveness

of protected areas.

“‘IBAs in Danger’ provides an essential

focus for governments, development

agencies, the international environmental

and conservation conventions, business

and wider civil society to act to prevent

the further damage or loss of these sites

of international significance”, said Melanie

Heath, BirdLife’s Director of Science, Policy

and Information. “Collectively we must

work together to mitigate these threats,

strengthen the implementation of national

and local laws and policies ensuring

environmental safeguards are implemented

at the earliest stages of development, as

well as enhancing the management of these

sites”. (BirdLife International)

Russia, Madagascar and South Africa were

cheered as they pledged vast new areas

for marine conservation. Several countries

promised to establish new land reserves

and extend or consolidate existing protected

areas. China committed to increasing its

"protected area territory" by at least 20

per cent, while the province of Quebec in

Canada announced it would protect 600,000

square kilometres of land to increase

biodiversity.

Among ocean conservation gains

was a pledge by Russia to increase its

marine protected areas by 28 per cent.

The President of Madagascar, Hery

Rajaonarimampianina promised to triple the

marine reserves in his country.


are multi award-winning wildlife

photographers and longtime residents

of Kenya. They are the only couple

to have won, individually, the Wildlife

Photographer of the Year Award. They

write, illustrate, teach and are TV

presenters, most famously known

for the ‘Big Cat Diary’ series for BBC

television. They have also written

numerous bestselling books including

Jonathan’s ‘The Marsh Lions’ (1982)

and their co-authored, Safari Guides to

East Africa. Their book, ‘Stars of Big Cat

Diary’, was published in 2008.

Jonathan and Angela Scott

cONSERVATION

The Marsh Pride which we have followed since 1977.


When I first came to live in the Maasai Mara in early 1977, I already

knew what an extraordinary place it was. In the language of the Maasai pastoralists who have roamed this area for the past two hundred years, Mara means spotted – the spotted land speckled with thorn bush and wild animals for as far as the eye can see. That is how it looked to me long before fire and elephants and the passage of safari vehicles created a more open environment. Today it is harder for browsers such as giraffes and Black rhinos to find suitable bushes to nourish them and harder for the big cats to hide their cubs with less thickets and dense vegetation. But it is not just the physical environment that has changed. Forty years ago there was only a handful of lodges and tented camps within the Reserve – such as the Keekorok and Serena Lodges and Governors Camp - with virtually none beyond its boundaries. Now there are well in excess of a hundred camps and lodges servicing the area with some 5,000 beds (some estimates put

it closer to 7000 beds when seasonal and lesser known camps are included) creating a nightmare for the authorities. How do you manage so many vehicles crisscrossing every inch of the Reserve while protecting the environment and its animal inhabitants?

These are not the words of an old-timer ruing change. They are the same concerns currently debated by the Kenya tourism industry and Narok County administrators – the same concerns voiced long ago by conservationists locally and internationally. That was very clear when I attended the Maasai Mara Stakeholder’s Meeting in Nairobi in September. The meeting was organized and chaired by the Governor of Narok County, the Honorable Samuel Ole Tunai. I wondered if it would be a question of ‘seen and heard it all before’? But on this occasion I came away feeling that change for the better was possible. I say on this occasion because in 1977 I was asked to contribute to a Management Plan for the Reserve, just one of a number of plans commissioned at considerable expense in the interim with very little progress visible on the ground to show for the recommendations. We can no

longer argue that we are a ‘young’ Reserve lacking in capacity.

Angie and I are wildlife photographers, passionate about the worlds rapidly shrinking wilderness areas and their wild inhabitants. When I read recently that around 14% of the land surface globally has some form of protection, it seemed to offer hope that our battered environment might find a degree of respite. This is part illusion. Boundaries drawn on a map defining the extent of our national parks, game sanctuaries and forest reserves were primarily demarcated and gazetted many years ago. Since then human encroachment into wilderness has become increasingly visible whether through settlement, the illegal extraction of timber, cutting of grass for thatching, mining for minerals, quarrying for stone or sand, encroachment by livestock or killing of wildlife for profit or sustenance. So we shouldn’t take that 14% as sacrosanct. In fact according to a recent report published by the World Wide Fund for Nature, populations of mammals,

cONSERVATION


birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish have declined around the world on average by 52% since 1970, while freshwater populations have fallen by more than three quarters. Habitat loss, deforestation, climate change, overfishing and hunting are at the heart of these declines. We are told we can slow the process by purchasing sustainable products, reducing our consumption of meat and dairy

products to slow deforestation and by embracing public transport.

We do much of our photography from our base at Governor’s Camp in the Mara, where wild animals of all shapes and sizes are found in abundance. In the 1970s driving off-road was permitted – in fact it was often a necessity given the black cotton soils and shortage of all-weather tracks. During the rainy season large parts of the reserve would disappear under a carpet of long red oat grass obliterating many of the tracks and forcing vehicles to carve out new ones. It wasn’t pretty but there were far fewer vehicles in those days.

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Everything changed for the Mara when Tanzania closed its border with Kenya in 1977. Suddenly the Reserve became far more than an overnight stop for safari enthusiasts to East Africa who had already glimpsed the wonders of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. Now Kenya was forced to rely on its own natural treasures to lure visitors to the country and the Mara became the jewel in the crown of the tourism industry with visitor numbers soaring from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands annually. Meanwhile the wildebeest population had already exploded, released from the annual scourge of rinderpest or cattle plague, as it is also known. Rinderpest is a viral disease introduced to the wild herds by cattle that finally disappeared in the wake of a veterinary campaign to vaccinate livestock around the Mara-Serengeti in the late 1950s. The population climbed from 200,000 animals to 700,000 in the next 10 years before stabilizing at around 1.3 million in the 1980s. This ‘great migration’ as it is known currently numbers 1.5 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras and hundreds of thousands of gazelles, never tarrying too long in their endless search for grass and water. In contrast to the unplanned human development

Top: The Authors and Below: Honey's Boys a coalition of three cheetah brothers.


that quickly spread like a rash through the Mara region, the beauty of nature is that it has built-in checks and balances. Caught up in the eternal struggle for survival, predator and prey populations help to nourish the environment they depend on rather than depleting it. The blue print of life is beautifully depicted in the ebb and flow of species across this extraordinary land, the wisdom of nature so clearly pointing us in the right direction. It is telling us that we need checks and balances – a workable Master Plan properly implemented if the Mara is to prosper.

For those quick to write off the Mara as beyond salvation, I would caution that all is not lost. The creation of Wildlife Conservancies bordering the Reserve offers visitors a less ‘crowded’ wildlife experience while helping to

make the lease of Maasai-owned land to tourism stakeholders a financially viable alternative to pastoralism or agriculture. And to the west of the Mara River is the area of the Reserve known as the Mara Triangle that is run by a private management company called the Mara Conservancy. In 2001 the Conservancy began implementing a professional, well thought-out plan as to how to balance the needs of the environment with the demands of the tourism industry and those of the local Maasai community living around the Reserve. The Conservancy has been a beacon of hope investing in road maintenance and track distribution, anti-poaching in conjunction with our neighbours in the Serengeti, plus control of tour vehicles and visitors to ensure that sensitive species such as big cats are not unduly disturbed, particularly when breeding and hunting. Crucially the Conservancy has helped to promote greater accountability in revenue collection and allocated more money to enable the Triangle to be run properly. Some of the money passes to the local Maasai, who share the surrounding dispersal area with the wild animals and who bear the costs of living with wildlife through loss

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of livestock, human life and damage to crops. The hope is that Narok County will follow the Triangle's example and see fit to employ a credible management company to run the day-to-day affairs on the east side of the Mara River, and in so doing create a new sense of order.

Which brings me back to our role as photographers. Visitors to the Mara are eager to document every moment

Top Right: Masai warriors traditionally killed male lions as a sign of bravery. This practice is now discouraged.

Below: Cattle graze illegally in the reserve on a daily basis - often at night - increases conflict with predators and should not be permitted.


of their experience on their mobile phone or with a traditional camera. As one pundit commented ‘if you didn’t record the event it was as if you were never there.’ Capturing a record of one’s life’s journey seems to be a pleasingly innocuous pursuit, yet it can distort the way we see and nurture our world. With a camera pressed to your face or phone stretched out in front of you we stop really ‘seeing’. Instead we see with the eye of the camera rather than experiencing the real moment with all our senses. The benefit of recording what we see is that we can enjoy looking at our images again and again – share them with the world on Facebook, Google Plus and Instagram - a constant reminder of a fragment of what we saw. The majority of the hundreds of thousands of visitors thronging the Reserve are hoping to get up close to the animals – particularly the big cats – so they can capture the picture trophy of what they saw. There is nothing wrong with this in essence so long as the emphasis in on not unduly disturbing

the wildlife. But that is only possible if stringent rules and regulations are imposed and enforced. Otherwise the urge to get the shot can diminish the moment rather than celebrating it.

I was inspired and heartened recently to speak to one of the Maasai driver-guides at Governor’s Camp to hear him talk of how things in the Mara had to change. He told me he was sickened by some of the behavior he witnessed

around predators and down at the river crossings when vehicles can number in excess of 100. Lions and leopards often lie in ambush among the thickets while giant crocodiles pilot the length of the river as they sense the arrival of the herds. The wildebeest and zebras are forced to wander back and forth as they try to negotiate one of the most dangerous moments of their lives and deal with the stress of dozens of vehicles. All of us need

to acknowledge our part in this and endeavor to bring about change. Driver training is imperative. Knowledgeable licensed guides versed in all elements of their trade must become the bedrock of our industry and a requirement for anyone driving visitors in the Mara. It is essential that camps and lodges play their part too by briefing all their guests on etiquette before they go on a game drive. Currently the pressure on

the drivers and guides to get their vehicles in to the best position is enormous. They are forced to compete at times with an unruly scrum of safari

wagons, engines revving and clouds of gray diesel fumes fogging the air as they close in on a sighting.

We all know when an animal is looking anxious or disturbed – when the lion or cheetah is hunting or trying to move her cubs (sometimes as a direct consequence of the relentless pressure of vehicles). This is the time to back off – not drive closer – and act with dignity in the presence of these great creatures; to give them the space and respect

IN tHe tRIANgle you depARt wItH tHe feelINg tHAt tHe wARdeNS ARe IN CHARge RAtHeR tHAN tHe touRISM INduStRy.

Poaching of Elephants in the Mara has increased in recent years. Due to illegal grazing of cattle on the east side of the river the largest herds are often to be found in the Mara Triangle.


they need – even if it means forgoing the shot that we so want to capture. Remote cameras and drones may have their place in the photographer’s kit bag used discreetly, but somewhere as heavily visited, as the Mara is not the ideal venue – certainly not unregulated. In the wrong hands they are incredibly intrusive and disturbing to wildlife.

In the Triangle a single patrol vehicle is able to manage a large game viewing area once all the drivers and guides become aware of its possible presence. Word soon gets round if there is a real sense of commitment on the part of wardens and rangers to enforce the rules. ‘When the policeman is in town don’t go through the red light’ is the message. But to do this you need good infrastructure and well maintained roads and tracks. This is apparent when you visit the Triangle. Here you can venture off road to enjoy a significant sighting – a pride of lions, a cheetah or rhino for instance - but only five vehicles may congregate at any one time and each vehicle is tasked to move on after 10 minutes so as not to overburden the animals and to allow others to enjoy the spectacle. On leaving, each vehicle is meant to return to the main track by the same path it entered and continue on its way. It is surprising how quickly people

get used to a new way of being. In the Triangle you depart with the feeling that the wardens are in charge rather than the tourism industry.

The time is ripe for us to turn a significant corner in the history of the ‘spotted land’. For this to happen all of us must be prepared to make sacrifices, from the visitors and photographers to the local Maasai community and their leaders who hold the future of

the Reserve in their hands. We have a choice between celebrating the Mara as an irreplaceable fragment of wilderness or diminishing it to little more than a glorified theme park where greed takes precedence over the wellbeing of its wild inhabitants. If our leaders and the tourism industry are true to their word then it will be the former - and we will salute them.

Drop in water levels in the Mara river are of great concern. Deforestation in the Mau Forest is the primary reason for this.


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served as Chairman of the Rhino

Ark Management Committee from

November 2000 to July 2012. In this

time he completed the electrified

fence that now surrounds the entire

Aberdare mountain range then

launched for Rhino Ark the current

major fence construction projects for the Mt Kenya and

Mau Eburru. He has had many years of involvement in

conservation in East Africa including serving as honorary

Chairman of the KWS Board of Trustees in 2003 and 2004.

Colin Church

Elephants in Mara North Conservancy


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It is an historical warp that the Mara ecosystem - Kenya’s greatest wildlife experience - has had such

scant attention to ensure its future as a prime asset to its communities and to the nation.

The rolling plains and wooded riverines of this wildlife paradise hold more than one of nature’s greatest ‘wonders’.

Maasai communities surround its core protected reserves and it is they who have the opportunity to secure long-term income benefits – but only if dynamic livestock and wildlife management practices are followed.

For more than 50 years since the Masai Mara Game Reserve and the former Mara Triangle portion were gazetted as state protection zones, but with local authority management, the plunder of its seemingly boundless

wildlife revenues has been a blot upon the nation’s reputation.

There have been many efforts to address these issues with little success. The blame game has been prolific.

Some leaders have stubbornly turned a blind eye to the need to ensure equitable and transparent revenue share of tourism access fees and to show leadership to drive through 21st Century livestock practices. Both are pivotal to a complex jigsaw ‘fix’.

Perhaps there is a glimmer of reality now beginning to peek through. Good conservation practice for wildlife and

realistic stock policies is not a myopic wish. It is good for business and spreads benefits so that all family incomes grow equitably. Into the melee of blatant exploitation of the region’s assets, an embryonic gathering of conservationists – from within the Maasai Community, Kenyan society and internationally – is demonstrating that joined up participation has a chance to work.

The Mara Elephant Project (MEP) was begun in 2011 – just one year after Kenyans voted for a ‘devolution of power’ Constitution. This people’s referendum places the onus of regional

It IS developINg CReAtIve wAyS to SHow tHAt CoNSeRvAtIoN pRACtICeS CAN pRovIde A fAIR SHIllINg eARNed foR All.

We people of the Mara region are the guardians of one of the worlds’ greatest spectacles of nature. We should never forget that wildlife has flourished off this land longer than we humans have. It is our duty, and our good fortune, to ensure that the greater Mara Ecosystem remains our most valued asset for everyone who lives on the lands bordering the two national reserves already under our stewardship.

The Mara Elephant Project (MEP) is a joint process between conservationists and the Masai Community to build sound management processes that will deliver long lasting income benefits from both livestock and wildlife.

Statement by Samuel K. Tunai, Governor Narok County

Wildlife has flourished off this land longer than we humans have.


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revenue management firmly in the hands of county governments. Though still embryonic, MEP is fusing Mara communities and conservationists in an initiative that is achieving some impressive results. It is directly engaging with communities to tackle poaching. It is developing creative ways to show that conservation practices can provide a fair shilling earned for all.

MEP’s emergence on the scene was triggered after 13 years of the well-recorded impact that privatised management secured for

Map of Narok County areas in brown/red/mauve where, with funding, similar security and community outreach is planned. Each is described in red as "poaching hotspot" .

Game Reserves Core Conservancy areas under MEP MEP raid response units

the ‘Triangle’ sector when introduced by the former Trans Mara County Council. The founders of MEP saw the escalating human/wildlife conflict in the newly formed conservancies bordering the two game reserves – Mara and Triangle - as an opportunity to involve the communities in tackling human/elephant conflict.

Whilst elephants (and rhino) are today’s most threatened wildlife assets due to unprecedented levels of poaching, MEP’s actions are targeted at all human/wildlife conflict – lion and cheetah killing and the hideous

A Dealer (Mr. Daniel Karanja Muchiri) arrested in Narok town on the 30th of July 2014 and charged with illegal possession of 9 pieces of ivory weighing 84 kilograms (OB Number 92/30/7/14) .


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bush meat slaughter being amongst the most high profile. Wildlife is a benefit but also a curse for those with cattle and crops if ways are not developed to protect and compensate for damage or loss. MEP’s goal is to “protect and restore the African elephant population in the Mara/Serengeti ecosystem, while positively impacting the human-elephant relationship”.

MEP now has four patrol teams, with many recruited from the Mara region, all fully trained in tracking and with endemic understanding of the terrain and habits of elephant and all wildlife.

51 Degrees, a professional security company trains MEP rangers.

Elephant poacher arrests and deaths 2010- 2014 recorded in MEP reports.

MEP’s third sector is a newly formed intelligence unit that provides up to the minute information, is adept at infiltration and with a well proven record of leads to assist in poacher and bush meat arrests.

What of the impact on poaching and human elephant conflict?

The graph above tells the story.

Two years after start up, MEP partnered with Save the Elephants (STE) embarking on an elephant tracking operation with 14 collared

They are equipped, uniformed and under disciplined leadership. They patrol the core areas in Transmara (west), Lemek (central) and Ol Donyo Erinka (east) bordering the Game Reserves. The Quick Response Unit is centrally based at the newly acquired centre near Aitong in the Lemek Conservancy. This crack ranger unit monitors elephant data. It responds fast to animal injury, human-elephant conflict and elephant killing reports. MEP works closely with KWS on all intelligence and poacher search operations. Each bolsters the other.

Handing over elephant collar to partner KWS in Siapei during the translocation of elephants on September 1st 2012.


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by the end of last year. The STE technical input gives hard evidence of movements into conflict zones and enables the Rapid Response teams to take immediate action. Further mechanisms being planned are for fixed wing, helicopter and unmanned

monitoring devices. All this provides hard information but the most important MEP asset is its ranger patrol and intelligence units in constant action on the ground.

MEP’s ability to move swiftly where there are hard boundaries along

cultivated smallholdings is of great significance. Modern realities mean that sections of the Mara ecosystem will inevitably require methods of quick response to drive elephants and ungulates out of crop fields as well.

MEP’s long-term commitment is to use all means available to reduce and in some areas eliminate, human/wildlife conflict. With a funding mechanism in place, it is MEP’s policy to consider both fencing and the other techniques in hot spot areas to keep elephants away from shambas (plots or gardens)

MEP was pioneered by entrepreneur Richard Roberts – and with strong

Left: Elephant carcass, cause of death was

stepping into a charcoal kiln.

Below: Marc Goss MEP Programme Director (third from right centre and Dr Iain Douglas Hamilton (fourth centre) of Save the El-ephants collaring an elephant in the Masai Mara Game Reserve.


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financial backing from the US conservation trust – Escape – whose driving force is Susan Fehsenfeld – a frequent visitor to Kenya and committed global wildlife conservationist.

With a year one start up budget of $100,000, the immediate impact of the MEP ranger force has encouraged a four-fold increase in the budget to expand operations from the core zones outward. As communities see the results, more are requesting MEP support in their areas. And more funds will be required.

In addition to Escape’s substantial underwriting of the operation, it is the MEP Board’s policy to broaden fund sources – not only from global conservation groups but also from

within Kenyan society. Amongst those who have added to the usd 400,000 budget by 2013 are Northstar, Care for the Wild Kenya, Eden Trust, Ree Wildlife Park. Local participants include the Mara Conservancy and Cricket on the Wild.

MEP’s chairman Brian Heath says: “Good conservation policies must create

revenue sharing to all who are part of the conservancy outreach in the greater Mara Region. Every family has to benefit. This is not a top down process. MEP actions illustrate that there is a local opportunity. The big challenge is for the conservancies to commit to grazing protocols, consider livestock upgrade and number reductions so that

Top Right: MEP teams treating

elephant from spear wounds in Ol

Donyo Erinka area.

Below: MEP Rangers in training.


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the land is managed to capacity and not to over-capacity.”

Board member Richard Roberts explained: “ It makes good business practice to ensure all benefit from the policies. This is not a practice that works only for the elite.”

The ‘all can benefit process’ is well illustrated in the Boma Fortification Project (BFP) where MEP has become involved to support the pioneering work of the Anne Kent Taylor Fund and Eden Trust. Predator protection is good business practice. Over 325 bomas are now secured.

In the Mara North Conservancy where MEP has a presence, experiments include a trial herd of cattle – each supplied from individual conservancy families that is illustrating a quicker fattening and higher sale value using the ratio of 1 grazing unit (300kg animal) to 2 acres. Current unit averages are 3 times that, imposing undue pressure on the land. Factor in income earned from wildlife viewing access fees and property land rents with fewer cattle at a higher unit value - that is a good business prospect for the landowner.

What of MEP’s strategy forthe future?Marc Goss Programme Director explains: “MEP is a grassroots initiative with international outreach. MEP demonstrates that there is a direct

wildlife and in community involvement so that their operations are secured long term,” Goss adds.

“We know many have their own special lodge-linked initiatives but budget support for MEP community efforts to stop elephant and predator killing and to the wanton bush snaring that targets mainly ungulates, is a good investment”.

Richard Roberts says: “Add contributions to protection of wildlife and reduction of human/elephant conflict by individual lodges and camps and a stronger basis exists for negotiating realistic access fees and land rental charges. The Mara now needs all to commit to a long-term investment. Gone are the days of quick bucks and quick returns for the politically advantaged”.

MEP is in for the long term. The time has come when a deep investment in the precious assets of the unique ecosystem is good business for all.

Top: Elephants attacked by angry farmers

after a crop raid crossing the Mara River. It

was treated by MEP support partners David

Sheldrick Widlife Trust.

Below: Boma Fortification Project provides

predator proof enclosures to over 300

bomas in MEP areas.

benefit from the protection umbrella. Crop off take is more secure and full per acre crop value achieved. Better livestock security now twinned with livestock/wildlife grazing protocols and access/rental fees are together showing real income value to the individual owner.”

“The tourist industry is a major potential partner. Their enthusiasm for MEP’s umbrella operations is not in doubt. Now we need the industry – even in this awful downturn time - to share the investment in the sustainability of


is manager and principal

investigator of the Mara-Meru

Cheetah Project. Member of

IUCN Breeding Conservation

Specialist Group, she obtained

her PhD in cheetah Ecology and

behaviour and has spent three

decades studying cheetah in captivity and in the wild,

especially in the Maasai Mara, where they are a

must-have in the tourists’ photo album.

Elena Chelysheva

Elena Chelysheva has spent three decades studying cheetah, especially in the Maasai Mara, where they are a must-have in the tourists’ photo album. In this article she shares some of her expert knowledge and, like Jonathan Scott and Jake Grieves-Cook in this section, appeals for

more understanding from their viewers.

At the start of the 20th century, there were more than 100,000 cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

roaming vast areas in Asia and Africa. By the end of the century, the global population was estimated as 15,000 animals, while today approximately 7,500 cheetahs are left in the wild.

This article looks at some of the reasons for such a dramatic decline of a species that has co-existed with humans for 4,500 years. They were kept as pets,

trained for hunting and also hunted. The more research that we do, the less, it appears, we know. Here are some key facts to bear in mind next time you come across them.

• Yearbyyearcheetahnumbersdecline drastically primarily due to increasing habitat loss and fragmentation, the reduction of prey density and killings due to conflict with livestock and hunting for live trade and skins.

• InKenya,cheetaharenowresidentin about 23% of their historical range, mostly in unprotected areas. However, even in protected areas, chances of survival are

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Mothers stay with cub females

longer than with cub males.

Reationship between family

members is very tender, but

when young male reaches the

age of 15-16 months, mother

chase him away.


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limited by inter-guild competition for territory and resources with lions and hyenas – major cheetah enemies. Alongside reduction of prey availability, cheetahs are forced out of protected lands, where they come into conflicts with herders. Among other problems, cheetah are susceptible to diseases affecting both felines and canids.

• TheMaasaiMaraNationalReserveand adjacent areas as a part of the of Mara-Serengeti Ecosystem are a perfect example of an almost full range of the problems cheetahs experience in the wild and the high adaptability the species exhibits. As the boundaries between these two parks and conservancies are not fenced, cheetahs freely migrate within the ecosystem. The Maasai Mara National Reserve is one of the most-visited parks in the world, with the number of visitors and facilities growing each year. There is a complex of interconnected factors, which directly and indirectly affect cheetah survival. Among them there are: reduction in prey base

(which escalates conflict with other predators), conflict with herders, tourist activity and disease (sarcoptic mange).

• Incountingcheetahs,weusedanindividual identification method, which I developed in 2001. It is based on visual analysis of the unique spot patterns on front limbs (from toes to shoulder) and hind limbs (from toes to the hip), and spots and rings on the tail.

Mara-wide counts of cheetahs were performed in 2002, 2005, and 2013. The 2002 survey identified 28 adult cheetah utilizing the Mara ecosystem, with 19 individuals spotted in the Reserve. In 2005, Stephanie Dloniak identified 41 adult cheetah in the Reserve. In 2013, the Mara-Meru Cheetah Project identified 44 adults, of which, 38 were in the Reserve. Thus, the median density for cheetahs in the Reserve was the lowest in 2002 (1.25/100 km2), highest in 2005 (2.7/100 km2), with a small reduction in 2013 (2.5 /100 km2). The Talek region of the Reserve maintained the highest

densities in 2005 and in 2013, in addition to the Sopa area being relatively high in 2013.

Although high densities of cheetahs exist in the Talek region, this area is also exposed to a high level of livestock grazing and tourism, and a reduction in resident prey numbers. Why this region maintains a high density of cheetahs despite widespread ecological change is unknown. One potential reason could be the positive indirect effects of cattle grazing on vegetation, improving hunting success for cheetahs. Another possible explanation could be differences in the makeup of the carnivore guild.

Cheetah share habitat with lion prides and hyena clans and their meetings become vital as they provide cheetah an opportunity to work out the best survival strategies. Hyenas are known to snatch cheetah prey and kill and eat cubs. Lions, apart from taking away cheetah kills, kill cubs and adult cheetah.

Curious ungulates often help us spotting a cheetah.


Females take care to avoid conflict. Female cheetahs are more successful hunters. Immediately after a successful hunt, a Mara cheetah drags it to a safer place (under a bush or into a small patch of tall grass) and does not open it straight away but stays for up to one hour scanning the area and starts eating only when sure that there are no other predators around. Once the prey is opened, a cheetah eats continuously for up to three hours and leaves the spot, unlike Serengeti cheetah, which eats faster and leaves before kleptoparasites arrive (Caro 1994). During the rain Mara cheetah will stay with the kill at the same spot for two days continuously feeding from the same carcass because the rain creates a natural barrier for dispersal of smell so hyena within 200m cannot detect a kill.

• Despitethefactthatcheetahsroam within the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, they display different patterns of behavior and different survival strategies depending on

the area they inhabit. In Serengeti, the minimum distance at which a cheetah allows an approach by a vehicle would be 15 meters, while in the Mara the relationship between cheetahs and tour vehicles is a controversial issue. Some cheetah allow cars to approach to a distance of 20-30 meters and take off at attempts to get closer. Some use them as shelter and observation points, which is a cause for concern. Serengeti cheetah which visit the Reserve are very different. We have watched a male following a Mara female to mate. When the female fearlessly passed between cars at a distance of 2-3m, he hesitated at a distance of 15-20 meters.

• Cheetahs learn the behavior of visitors and differentiate it in different areas. For example, in the Triangle, in the areas where off-road driving is restricted, females with cubs can tolerate vehicles at a distance of 15 and less meters. The same females in areas that allowed off-road driving kept a distance of more than 30m.

• Mothersteachcubsbyshowingexamples of different behavioral strategies in various situations. If a mother tolerates vehicles, cubs adopt the same behavior. During playing, cubs improve their hunting and climbing skills. Being curious, they try all elevated objects, starting from the mother’s back and then bushes and trees. Depending on the level of tolerance to the vehicle of their mother, they might approach tour vehicles.

• Inthe1980sintheReserve,there were at most 1-3 cars near the cheetah and the maximum number of vehicles simultaneously present at a cheetah site was six. In 2002, the maximum number of cars watching a cheetah at the same time was 23, while in 2012 we observed 63 vehicles near one cheetah.

• OurpreviousstudyintheMarain 2002 showed that in the presence of tourists, cheetah behavior was changing by 75%. Cars at a distance greater than

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In order to take better shot, tourists often surround cheetahs and come too close, breaking Park Rules.


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13m had less influence on cheetah activity and behavior. The critical distance at which cars with tourists had the greatest impact on cheetah behavior was around 6-8m. Reducing the distance further produced a reduction in activity, when cheetah lies down (sometimes with closed eyes) and does not show any sign of activity. Such behavior is a sign of apathy (stress immobility) induced by tourists. The more cars surround cheetah, or the shorter the distance became, the more often cheetah lie down.

• Whiletravelling,cheetahsleavemessages on their physiological and reproductive status to their counterparts by scent marking different substances. They claw different surfaces and urinate and defecate on elevated objects such as termite mounds, logs, tree trunks and forks. Cheetah that climb cars often defecate on the roof. They leave their marking scents to pass out information to their counterparts. Thus, if this is done on a tour vehicle, the information becomes lost in the mail!

• Visitorsshouldensuremaximumsilence at animal sightings with zero harassment such as calling or whistling at sleeping animals. Do not follow cheetah going for

hunt or courtship; observe them from a distance for this will reduce incidences of interrupted hunts and mating. Avoid ‘markings’ under trees, bushes and on the grass as these are greatly utilized by animals as resting points, marking areas and food. Do not allow cheetah to climb your tour vehicle; as much as cheetahs use elevated areas as observation points, they also utilize them as marking points leaving a message addressed to another cheetah.

• TheMaraisafast-changingecosystem where land fragmentation and habitat loss for the cheetah is leading to increased levels of human-cheetah interactions. This is because, as cheetahs move across the ecosystem, they often pass by human habitation and sometimes go for small domestic stock. In retaliation, Maasai livestock owners want to do away with the predator.

• It’sbecomingdifficultforcheetahsto move around freely because of the increasing number of fences going up. Traditionally, the Maasai were nomadic but now they are settling down – hence the increased private land delineation by fencing. Interviewing Maasai around the Reserve revealed that 67% respondents out of 63

confused cheetah for leopard. They use mostly one word for both carnivores - Olouwaru keri - meaning “spotted one”, Nearly 60% blamed cheetah for losses, and out of these, 37% pointed at a cheetah photo but described leopard behaviour: “At night the cat climbed into a boma, took a sheep/goat and ate it up on a tree”.

• Tosavethecheetahinthewild,we have to save its environment. And this means enhancing the well being of those communities that bear the direct cost of living with wildlife, cheetah.

• Forus,educationandpublicawareness is key to saving the cat. Working with the communities, we are researching their perceptions, knowledge and attitude towards wildlife in general and cheetah in particular to form the basis for producing the most relevant and easy to understand education materials for them.

• Sinceweidentifiedcoreconflictzones around the reserve, we are working out different ways of mitigating human-wildlife conflict in the area. Apart from applying boma-improving strategies, we are developing educational materials targeting different age categories – from kids to elders.

• FortheMaasai,cattlearetheirwealth and premier source of

Migration provides abundant prey to all carnivores. These two brothers lose half of their kills to lions, but during migration have some relief because of reduced food competition with lions.


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income. But, with little pasture and drought, alternatives to maximizing benefits accruing from cattle keeping should be sought. These alternatives should be of ecological sound acceptable within the culture and way of life by the Maasai lead.

• Despitebeingclassifiedasafelid, Cheetah have the following common features with the Canids; the skeleton is similar to the dog with a scapula built like in a Grey wolf. Its milk is 99% equal to that of the African Wild dog and more similar to the milk of Grey wolf than to any cat. It has color binocular distant vision. The cheetah’s retina has more cones (photoreceptor cells responsible for day vision and color perception) and fewer rods (responsible for peripheral and night vision, to detect brightness and shades of gray) than in other cats. This explains the cheetah’s poor vision in darkness when compared with other felids. In addition, Cheetah has a visual field span of 210 degrees versus 140 in humans and, it can isolate details up to a distance of 5 km during the day.

• Cheetahsexistinavarietyof habitats ranging from the savannah to deserts and high mountains. They are tolerant to high temperatures, daytime fluctuations, and the snow. They swim across rivers, climb trees and rocky hills. They are active by day and night. Their prey varies from small to medium and fast moving to slow moving large ungulates. Cheetah exhibit different hunting techniques depending on the type of habitat and number of individuals involved in the hunting exercise.

• Theirsocialorganizationisuniqueand represented by temporary and permanent units. A litter size of up to eight cubs is thought to be an adaptation to high cub mortality whereas a high growth rate of cheetah cubs, compared to other felids, is thought to be a further adaptation to high predation risk. After the mother leaves her sub-adult cubs, they stay together for about half a year, after which a litter split occurs. Depending on the number of males, they start solitary life or group life in a permanent unit – a coalition,

which lasts life-long and may accept unrelated males. Most females live a solitary life, but in certain environmental conditions, they also form coalitions from sisters-littermates.

• Outoffiveidentifiedsubspecies,four live in Africa and one in Eurasia, where only 120 individuals of the so-called Asiatic cheetah survive in Iran. Recent study proved three subspecies to be genetically distinctive: Northern-East African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii), Asiatic cheetahs (Acinonyx j. venaticus) and South-African (Acinonyx j. jubatus), which gives hope for greater genetic diversity of the species.

• Therearetwostrongholdpopulations left in the world: one in Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana and South Africa), and the other in Kenya and Tanzania, represented by different subspecies. Except for two subspecies, cheetahs are considered “Vulnerable” by the IUCN and are listed in CITES Appendix I.

Research team in the field recording cheetah behavior.


increase in livestock numbers. This puts pressure on the Reserve with frequent livestock incursions as herders look for grazing for their cattle after much of the outer Mara has now become over-grazed, or privately owned and fenced off by the owners following sub-division, or cultivated by wheat farmers. Livestock grazing on the savannah plains can actually have a positive effect for wildlife in providing short grass and stimulating the new growth favoured by some animals such as gazelles or warthogs. Also areas which have been grazed down are preferred by many herbivores which deliberately avoid the long grass in which predators such as lions could be hiding. Unfortunately, nowadays the amount of grazing by livestock is often so excessive during the dry season that nothing remains for the wildlife and this causes real problems. However one positive development, which addresses both the issue of tourism density in the Mara and grazing for livestock, has been the establishment in the last ten years of new wildlife conservancies on community-owned land adjacent to the Reserve at Ol Kinyei, Naboisho, Olare Motorogi and Mara North Conservancies. These conservancies have created a buffer zone taking the pressure off the Reserve, increasing the area of protected habitat for wildlife, and providing a greatly improved wildlife viewing experience for tourists while at the same time generating incomes and livelihoods for the hundreds of Maasai landowners whose plots have been leased to form the conservancies and where small scale controlled livestock grazing can

be allowed on a limited and rotational basis.

Is there sufficient coordination between all Mara stakeholders - inhabitants, the tourism

industry, Conservationists, KWS, Local Government and Central Government?

There have been numerous workshops, conferences, meetings and studies in recent years looking at ways of

reducing the tourism density inside the Mara Reserve and seeking to identify the best ways of protecting the Mara as one of the world’s greatest wildlife parks. At one stage a few years ago there was an attempt to have a moratorium or a “freeze” on any new tourist lodge developments, which meant that no new applications could be considered by National Environmental Managaement Authority (NEMA), in the hope that this would stop the increasing number of camps and lodges that were springing up. However all that happened was that many developers just went ahead without bothering with NEMA approval, so that many more beds were added during the moratorium period. There was also an attempt to introduce a management plan for the Mara Reserve, which would have established high use and low use zones as a means of controlling tourism density but this was not approved and the recommendations were not adopted. Since more tourists means more income from park entry fees, there has been some resistance to

The name of Jake Grieves-Cook has been synonymous with tourism in Kenya for four decades, especially in the Maasai Mara. A former chairman of the Kenya Tourist Board and Council member of EAWLS, he is now CEO of Gamewatchers, which operates prize-winning low-impact camps in the Mara along the sustainable, community-centred lines he so passionately espouses. SWARA will be visiting one and reporting back in the 2015 - 02 issue.

People say the balance between conservation and tourism in the Mara has reached tipping point,

crisis point or already gone into critical decline.What’s your view?

The Mara was where I started my career in tourism over 40 years ago, based at what

was then the only tourist lodge in the Reserve, so I have seen some big changes over the years! During the past two decades there has been a huge increase in the number of tourist accommodation facilities, with new lodges and camps mushrooming both inside the Mara Reserve and outside on the periphery in places like Talek or as ribbon developments along the Mara River. There have been complaints that sometimes new camps and lodges have been built on sites that were the home territory of various wild animal species but the main adverse impact of all this new development has been to greatly increase the number of tourist vehicles inside the Reserve during the July to October peak season. This is when masses of minibuses and 4x4s congregate along the Mara River in the hope of seeing a “crossing”. There are now just far too many vehicles in the Reserve during the migration season with the tourism density often so high that it spoils the visitor experience and can actually obstruct the animals and prevent them from crossing at their favourite spots. Another problem has been caused by the greatly increased human settlement in recent years near the Reserve and the accompanying

cONSERVATION



any suggestions that visitor numbers should be limited. However, as mentioned, one positive outcome has been a new co-operation between the private sector and the local communities to set up conservancies adjacent to the Reserve which have now been given recognition by government as legal entities. Within the conservancies there is a strict control on tourism density as they adhere to a formula of a maximum of one tent (2 beds) per 700 acres of conservancy and a maximum of one vehicle per 1400 acres. The income earned by the landowners, whose plots make up the conservancies, is based on a fixed fee per acre and so does not depend on visitor numbers. There is now a growing realisation that the form of tourism provided in the conservancies is more responsible and sustainable and the conservancy safari experience is gaining popularity with visitors as can be seen by recent articles in the international media and the many positive reviews on TripAdvisor.

If nothing is done, and current trends continue unchecked, how do you see the Mara as a world tourist

attraction in 10 or 15 years’ time?

The Mara is still a world-class safari destination and offers wonderful wildlife

viewing for visitors. Fortunately it is not isolated but is part of a vast protected eco-system, connected to the larger Serengeti and with the new conservancies further expanding the habitat for wildlife. So there is no reason why it should not continue as a huge draw for tourists, an important repository of bio-diversity and a valuable national resource. If action can be taken to control excessive tourism density during the few weeks around the August high season period every year, by coming up with ways of reducing the number of vehicles that congregate along the river, and if the conservancies can go on providing a protected

dispersal area beyond the Reserve, then the Mara can continue as one of the world’s finest places for seeing large concentrations of wildlife in great variety and in a spectacular natural setting. However, a serious challenge is posed now by the fragmentation of the former group ranches and community lands beyond the conservancies. The sub-division of this vast area into thousands of small plots owned by individuals has meant that the traditional nomadic pastoralist lifestyle of the local people has had to change. Pasture land and communal grazing areas are being lost as they become individually owned, fenced off, sold to developers and speculators, or turned into sprawling peri-urban settlements and trading centres. Livestock herders no longer have the same areas available for their cattle to graze and are being forced to look for free grazing in the Reserve and the Conservancies. What is urgently needed is for areas to be set aside to protect livestock rangeland

cONSERVATION


cONSERVATION

for cattle in the same way that the conservancies have been established for wildlife. Unless this is done now, within a few years there will be nowhere left for many of the Maasai livestock owners to graze their livestock herds. This will cause a huge pressure on the wildlife habitat in the Mara Reserve and the new conservancies with the very real threat of serious environmental degradation through over-grazing by livestock in the remaining areas available to them. The conservancy movement has shown how savannah grassland can be conserved and set aside for wildlife to generate an income and livelihoods for the landowners and we need a similar movement to conserve pastureland for the Maasai livestock so that we do not end up with a situation where the only grazing left is in the areas meant to be for wildlife. There is also a need for changes to the form of livestock husbandry with a greater emphasis on smaller herds but higher quality livestock and use of feedlots and hay as an alternative to nomadic grazing.

Kenya's tourism industry is reeling after Westgate terror attack, the Travel Advisories and media-

driven misperceptions. How does Kenya go about rebuilding its international profile?

Kenya’s tourism industry has had its share of ups and downs over the last 30 years and most of the downturns have been as a

result of negative media reports relating to security issues over the years such as armed robberies, civil unrest or terrorist attacks. However in the past these problem periods were usually short-lived as action was always taken to address the issue and to rebuild Kenya’s image in the key overseas markets. What is different now is that we have had an extended period of decline lasting for more than two years without any concerted efforts being made to address this, until fairly recently. For as long as potential visitors are being made to feel convinced that it is unsafe

to come to Kenya for a safari or a beach holiday, the demand will remain depressed and the numbers of visitor arrivals will be unlikely to reach the level required to generate an adequate return on investment for the industry and to give the boost that tourism could make to Kenya’s economy. This will mean the loss of thousands of jobs for Kenyans, a big reduction in tax revenue for the government and a lack of income for KWS, the parks, reserves and conservancies. Tourism is the biggest contributor to conservation and if we allow our nature-based safari tourism to collapse then this will have a massive negative impact on conservation of Kenya’s iconic wildlife. If media misperceptions are causing the collapse then there needs to be a serious effort to re-build a positive image for Kenya in the major markets which have international flights coming into our national airports and which have the highest volumes of outbound travel such as Germany, with 80 million outbound trips, or the UK with close to 60 million overseas visits a year. Ideally we need the services of a well-established international PR company that can assist this country by lobbying the foreign governments on behalf of Kenya to make them aware of the damage caused to both sides by blanket warnings to their citizens against travelling here, to make them recognise any actions taken to enhance security and to engage with the media owners to secure more positive reporting on Kenya and its attractions.

Wouldn’t a few years of low tourist numbers actually be a boon for both the eco-system and the tourism

industry, enforcing a breathing space in which to rethink and repackage both?

Definitely not! If tourist arrivals fall to such an extent that there are inadequate funds to pay for

conservation then the eco-system will certainly not benefit and will actually be harmed since alternative forms of land use will quickly replace conservation of

habitat in the protected wildlife areas used by tourism and many of these alternatives will result in wildlife habitat being lost forever. And if the tourism industry collapses further, so that hotels and safari companies close down, then this will cause considerable hardship to the many thousands of Kenyans who will lose their jobs with little hope of finding alternative employment. Our tourism industry in Kenya is closely linked to many other sectors of the economy which are suppliers of goods and services for tourists such as agriculture, transport, aviation, banking, insurance, breweries and soft drinks, food producers, printers, car dealers, fuel companies and many others as well as being an important source of tax revenue for central and county governments, so all of these will also be adversely affected. What is needed is for the government to succeed in addressing the security situation effectively, combined with a concerted effort to repair Kenya’s image and to carry out Marketing and Public Relations campaigns to compete with other destinations. This will help to attract the growing numbers of outbound tourists travelling from the key international markets while also encouraging more visits to our tourist attractions by the local resident market.

Are the days of high-volume low-cost tourism in Kenya over?

Kenya is served by many international airlines from all over the world and is a mature tourist destination

with some wonderful attractions and a wide variety of tourist products ranging from mass-market beach hotels and big safari lodges to small, high quality boutique hotels and up-market exclusive camps in private wildlife conservancies. Tourism offers Kenya a great opportunity to create jobs for hundreds of thousands of its citizens, to bring in foreign exchange and to boost the country’s economy. We need a greater realisation by all in government,



cONSERVATION

the local media and other institutions in Kenya that our tourism industry, which has been taken for granted and undervalued for so long, can actually be an economic engine of growth for the nation as it is for so many other countries in the world which earn an income from tourism even though they may not have Kenya’s natural resources and attractions. We are wasting what could be a valuable national asset and we need the government to recognise the economic importance of tourism and give it more support to fulfil its true potential. Look at the example of countries like Malaysia, Mauritius, Barbados, Turkey, Australia and Greece, all of which have used tourism as a means of boosting their economies and creating employment for their citizens. Developed countries have long understood that tourism is an important sector in their economies, for example the USA earns $140 billion a year from tourism, Spain earns $60 billion, France $56 billion, China $51 billion and Italy, Germany and UK each earn over $40 billion a year. However Kenya is not a cheap destination and is becoming less competitive. The recent imposition of VAT on tourism, combined with the current visa charges and relatively high park fees, has added an extra layer of costs so that Kenya is becoming more expensive. However we have seen price-cutting and “added value” offers in recent months by many hoteliers

in an attempt to encourage bookings and if visitors can be encouraged to travel outside the peak season months of July to September they will find that costs are lower. As the security situation improves and travel advisories are softened and if the government supports more effective marketing and PR campaigns to boost awareness of Kenya as an attractive destination in the biggest markets, then we should see higher volumes once again.

Kenya's population rate is rarely mentioned as part of the mix of things building pressure on land

and resources. Do you think population numbers are given the importance they deserve?

Kenya’s rapid population growth is definitely putting huge pressure on land and resources. Kenya now has

approximately 80 people per square kilometre which is more than most other countries in Africa that have wildlife-based tourism. This figure of 80 people per sq km in Kenya compares with 51 in Tanzania, 41 in South Africa, 17 in Zambia and only 4 in Botswana. And considering that many areas in Northern and Eastern Kenya are arid and sparsely populated, this means that the density in most places in Kenya is actually more than double what it is in

Tanzania and South Africa. We must realise that one of the main reasons for the global decline of wildlife in the world is loss of habitat. Today we are one of the world’s 30 most populous countries with one of the highest birth rates and rapidly heading towards a population of 50 million. We already have over 20 million Kenyans under the age of 20 and the population of children in Kenya is now double that of a country like the UK. This is going to put greater pressure in the future on land and will cause increasing demand for space to grow food and for access to water. As a result of the rapid increase in Kenya’s population, people need new places to live and have already settled on land that was previously wildlife habitat so that outside the parks and reserves the rangeland for wildlife is fast disappearing. Forests and woodland are being cut down for charcoal or cleared for cultivation or for housing developments. As well as causing habitat loss for wildlife, the increasing growth in human settlements has also caused human-wildlife conflict as wild animals are seen as pests or are considered dangerous and end up being exterminated. In order for wildlife habitats to be conserved there is an economic imperative which requires them to be economically viable and to generate an income for the landowners and local people that can match other alternative land uses.


In the past, livestock and people were excluded from formally protected wildlife areas such as

government-owned national parks and private ranches. These areas were set-asides for wildlife conservation, off-limits to neighbouring communities and their livestock. They were bubbles

north of Kenya, and came of age with legal recognition in the Kenya Wildlife Act of 2013.

In the community conservation model, local people set aside their land for cohesive livestock grazing and wildlife conservation. There are now 20 community conservancies in the region, home to more than 280,0000 people who manage more than 25,000 km2 of land.

This movement is safeguarding the future of a huge range of species, securing peace in a historically volatile area, rejuvenating degraded rangelands

Communit y conservancies in Kenya come of age

The Kenya Wildlife Act, which took effect in 2013, gave Community Conservancies legal recognition for the first time. The EAWLS, together with the Northern Rangelands Trust,

an organisation that supports community conservancies in the north of Kenya, were part of the lobbying team for the passing of the Bill. This is the first of a series focusing

on NRT – what it does, who does it, and who and what benefits.

works for Northern Rangelands

Trust as a Media and

Communications consultant

Sophie Harrison

The Northern Rangelands Trust conservancies cover over 25,000 km2 of land spanning nine counties in northern Kenya.

of managed conservation in a rapidly developing country and the prime beneficiaries, wildlife apart, were tourists.

But 60% of Kenya’s wildlife is said to reside outside of these formally protected areas, sharing space with people, not always harmoniously, but cheek by jowl. Few benefits from tourism accrued to the people who lived among the wildlife.

All that has changed over the past 10 years. A new movement called Community Conservation has been quietly and confidently emerging in the


and improving rural livelihoods. Yet, until the new Wildlife Act, these conservancies were completely invisible under Kenyan law.

The Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) was established in 2004, when the Honorable Francis Ole Kaparo suggested to Ian Craig, then the manager of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, that it was time to assist the growing number of established community conservancies in northern Kenya. Ian had a vested interest in making sure wildlife that migrated out of Lewa would still be protected, and had already started reaching out to surrounding communities. NRT supports the conservancies in a number

of ways; through fundraising, providing them with advice on how to manage their affairs, supporting a wide range of training and helping to broker agreements between conservancies and investors. The impact that NRT has had on communities and wildlife has attracted international attention; the Trust’s principal donors for core programme support now include the United States Agency for International Development, The Nature Conservancy, the Danish International Development Agency, the Royal Netherlands Embassy, and Fonds Fraincais por l’Environnement Mondial.

The conservancies, now legally-registered institutions, are each

governed by a democratically elected board, with dedicated grazing, tourism and finance committees, all made up of local people. They have brought about significant improvements in rangeland management and helped to stabilise, and frequently increase, wildlife populations. In the case of the highly endangered hirola antelope, now thriving in a community-operated sanctuary in Ishaqbini, they have been instrumental in preventing the extinction of species from certain areas.

Conservancy rangers, supported by NRT, are playing a significant role in tackling ivory poaching and other wildlife crimes. A 28% reduction in elephant poaching in the conservancies in 2014 speaks for itself. Just as importantly, the conservancies have helped to bring peace and security to areas which have been plagued by violent conflict, cattle rustling and banditry.

With the help of NRT, the conservancies are generating millions

By SELLINg TO NRT, PASTORALISTS gET A BETTER PRIcE fOR THEIR LIVESTOck THAN THEy WOULD THROUgH TRADITIONAL mARkETS

The Hirola is one of the most endangered mammals in the world - but the community of Ishaqbini are helping to secure its future.


NRT principal donors

of dollars of investment from tourism and livestock sales. These profits are pumped back into community projects such as school bursaries, and conservancy operating costs.

Over the two years of 2012 and 2013, 964 pastoralists from 11 conservancies had sold 66 million Kenyan shillings (USD 740,000) worth of cattle to NRT. By selling to NRT, pastoralists get a better price for their livestock than they would through traditional markets. At the same time, the grazing programme provides communities with skills and incentives to restore grassland productivity. Better grasslands attract more wildlife, which lays the foundation for tourism operations. Conservancy and bed-night fees from tourists generated over 47.4 million Kenyan shillings (USD 532,500) in 2013. This was used to pay for rangers’ salaries, water projects and other ventures identified as a priority by local communities.

To empower women in the communities - NRT manages a

programme that is providing women in the conservancies with a significant source of income. Profits to women’s groups selling beaded jewellery to the NRT Trading project rose to 8.8 million Kenyan shillings in 2013, benefiting over 800 women. A microcredit scheme established by NRT has also helped women to set up new enterprises. These endeavours have significantly improved income and family welfare, with many women using the profits from bead sales to buy better food and pay school fees.

With a regular Spotlight section in SWARA now dedicated to NRT, coming issues will feature the stories behind each of the Trust’s specific

programmes. This is conservation being driven by local people, who are adapting traditional livelihoods to create a future of peace, steady income, abundant wildlife and healthy cattle. The ripple effect of the conservancies’ success continues to change the mindsets of marginalised communities across northern Kenya, who are now increasingly willing to take charge of their own destinies.

Rendille pastoralists return after a trip to town to sell their goats - NRT are working with communities to develop sustainable grazing practices in conservancies.


On November 21, the American oil company CAMAC Energy cancelled plans to prospect

for oil in the Arabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve, one of the largest coastal forests in Africa and home to many endangered species.

CAMAC’s letter (Pg 52) followed international media publicity of its plans to blast and check the forest’s soil for oil in the increasing scramble for new sources of the fossil fuel all over East Africa.

The reserve is home to more than 100 forest elephants, at least three endangered mammals: the Aders’ duiker, or antelope, the Bushy-tailed mongoose and the Golden-rumped elephant shrew, which are found almost

exclusively inside the reserve. Its 420 km2 of cover is the largest coastal forest in East Africa and home to six endangered birds, including the Sokoke scops Owl, the Sokoke pipit, and more than 250 species of butterflies. It was listed by UNESCO as a “biodiversity hotspot”, one of only 25 in the world.

Prior to the reprieve, CAMAC began exploration of Block 16, licenced by the Kenyan government, by blasting every 60 metres along two transect lines, which go through the forest and adjacent areas, sending shockwaves up to 4k below the earth’s surface to measure for potential oil deposits.

Conservationists ran into opposition from local people and their leaders anxious to secure jobs should oil be found – an understandable priority in an area where employment from tourism has nosedived because of recent insecurity.

But is the CAMAC letter a victory for campaigning conservationists, or a reprieve? Whilst the letter from CAMAC Energy says that they will not enter the Arabuko Sokoke Forest Reserve, the Arabuko Sokoke Forest Adjacent Dwellers Association (ASFADA) is not convinced that this will save the forest.

ASFADA maintains that the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) conducted by CAMAC is flawed and completely inadequate with little or no public consultation. It is asking the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) for the ESIA to be completely reviewed.

As one of the main lead stakeholder groups in the area, ASFADA, was not included in the CAMAC ESIA. Transect lines continue to be dug near and on the boundary of the forest, however, and on

Famed Arabuko Sokoke Forest wins reprieve from Oil Company

By EAWLS Correspondents

View of Arabuko Sokoke Forest


5th December 2014, seismic drilling took place at the Jilore Forest station.

CAMAC and its Chinese BGP team partners were eventually chased away by KFS, KWS and ASFADA members. The Mjimboni Association Chief then announced at a public meeting on 6th

December that a new transect line would be added from the Arabuko 'Elephant' swamp. This swamp is a critically important water source for many species and especially the forests elephants. Seismic work is seriously disturbing to elephants. Local people have described the sonic testing as being like an earthquake.

ASFADA is also concerned about what will happen in the follow up survey work and more to the point, what will happen if oil is found in the area. Will the Kenya Government pledge to keep the Arabuko Sokoke Forest safe for eternity? ASFADA members greatly benefit from the forest and place a high value on it. They see themselves as the guardians of the forest. If their adjacent lands are impacted, who will protect the forest? So far there are no reports of community members receiving any compensation for the work CAMAC / BGP have carried out on their lands. Fears are deepening, especially as there

Left: Sokoke Scops Owl

Right: Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew

was no previous consultation regarding compensation. Many have lost crops due to be harvested. In spite of an order by the Kilifi County Governor to stop work for two weeks from November 21 in order to assess the situation, CAMAC / BGP continue their work.

Block 16 is one of the most highly valued environmental and culturally diverse of all Kenyan exploration blocks. A very large part of Block 16 is made up of numerous important sensitive sites, as well as the Arabuko Sokoke Forest; such as the Malindi - Watamu Marine Protected Areas, the Dakatcha Woodlands, Gede Forest & Ruins, several Kayas (sacred sites) and the Sabaki riverine wetlands and estuary, amongst others. All these are within Block 16. Many wonder when an in depth environmental impact survey of this highly sensitive area, was not done before it was considered as an exploration block.

ASfAdA MeMbeRS gReAtly beNefIt fRoM tHe foReSt ANd plACe A HIgH vAlue oN It. tHey See tHeMSelveS AS tHe guARdIANS of tHe foReSt. If tHeIR AdjACeNt lANdS ARe IMpACted, wHo wIll pRoteCt tHe foReSt?

SWARA JANAURY - MARCH 2015 53 SWARA JANAURY - MARCH 2015 53


Despite Vision 2030 incorporating

wildlife based tourism as a

major economic driver, there

is increasing pressure on our protected

areas. This can be seen in Nairobi National

Park, the Maasai Mara National Reserve

and Hell’s Gate National Park for example.

The purpose of this article is to highlight the

very real concerns in regard to Hell’s Gate

NP. It is vital to do this because Geothermal

development is being considered in

Longonot National Park, Eburru, Soysambu

Conservancy, Menengai, Lake Nakuru,

Lake Bogoria and Lake Baringo and some

of these areas are World Heritage Sites.

Firstly, it needs to be recognized that

Hells Gate National Park is a prime asset

in Kenya’s National Park network, with

unique landscapes. The cliffs themselves

have provided nesting sites for 3

endangered Birds of Prey. Two of these

– the Lammergeyer and Egyptian Vulture

have gone extinct in the park largely due

to disturbance factors. The third species –

Ruppell’s Vulture has significantly declined

and is under threat from KenGen activities.

This site is one of two known nesting sites

in Kenya and the only one occurring in a

protected area.

On the face of it, the basis for a good

relationship between Kenya Wildlife

Service (KWS) and Kenya Electricity

Generating Company Limited (KenGen)

is there, in the form of a MoU but due

diligence has not been applied by either

party and this has led to some real issues.

These issues include the following:

• Thereisamanagementplansetting

out zones. These zones include

ones where in theory it is agreed no

geothermal development will occur.

Yet drilling has been taking place in

one of these zones. The KWS Field

Team wrote to KWS HQ pointing

out this violation. No response has

been forthcoming.

• EAWLShasseeninwriting

that putting the steam pipes

underground would be very

expensive. Over the ground, these

pipes provide a considerable

eyesore and certainly interfere

with wildlife movements and tourist

enjoyment. But on a site visit, it was

confirmed by KenGen that these pipes

could go underground for the cost

of digging the appropriate trench in

exactly the same manner as oil pipes

are placed.

• ThereisanagreementthatWell40

should be shut down because of the

risk it poses particularly to the vulture

colony due to water overspill into the

nesting area. But so far this agreement

has been ignored.

• Theprincipleofsettinglimitstothe

Geothermal development in Hells Gate

was agreed as desirable, but no such

limits have been defined or set.

• Theequipmentusedonthewellsis

substandard and permits unnecessary

atmospheric pollution and noise. The

standard that should be followed is that

provided by the example of Omart 4.

• Environmentalmonitoringisundertaken

by NEMA, Vision 2030, the World Bank

and the Electricity Regulatory Board.

The experience from visiting the park

and obtaining the information from such

a visit, suggests this monitoring is not in

any way adequate or thorough.

• ExpandingHellsGateareaisseenas

a panacea for addressing some of the

environmental issue brought about by

the Geothermal development. But there

is a disconnect here as no amount of

expansion can replace the quality of

the core area if that is compromised by

the geothermal development. Related

to this is an idea that KWS should own

a ‘Wellhead’ as a way of improving

its income. But this should not

compromise KWS in sticking to its core

business of looking after the National

Park to the best of its ability.

The main challenge that therefore need

to be addressed is getting a commitment by

all parties that Kenya can have Geothermal

development but it should not undermine the

other Vision 2030 strategy of keeping our

wildlife resources as the basis for growing our

economy through the tourist sector.

The second challenge is getting a much

better engagement between the stakeholders

where Ken Gen in particular listens much

more carefully to what is being highlighted

as concerns and suggested remedies.

To meet these challenges , it is important

to echo the recommendations made by

the recent Wildlife Security Task Force as

follows:

1. Set up a compliance committee to

provide the oversight and monitoring

that is now urgently needed. This

committee should be chaired by the

Ministry of Environment, Water and

Natural Resources, since national

parks fall under that portfolio. Other

members should include the Ministry of

Energy, KWS, KenGen, NEMA and one

or two committed and knowledgeable

stakeholders, such as Nature Kenya

(Hells Gate NP is an important Bird

Area), and possibly the key donors,

such as World Bank.

2. Revise, update and convert the MoU

into a contract, which can be properly

enforced and monitored.

3. Ensure that limits to the Geothermal

development in Hells gate are set and

respected so that the integrity of the

National Park is maintained.

4. Ensure that any economic analysis

reflects the economic value of Hells

Gate as a national park and not just

what is best for KenGen’s profit.

5. Ensure that the management plan is

strictly adhered to and remedy where

the plan has been ignored.

6. Ensure Well 40 is removed as this

directly threatens the Vultures.

7. Ensure that environmental best

practice is applied to the laying out of

the steam pipes and to the noise and

pollution emissions from the wells.

These recommendations were made

available in June, 2014. Investigation as

to whether any improvements have taken

place reveals that no changes for the better

seem to have occurred. This suggests that

the Hells Gate NP issues are falling on deaf

ears, which is very disillusioning and does

not bode well for the future of Kenya’s

environment.

Hells Gate National Park and Geothermal Development


September 20th was International Coastal Cleanup Day. This annual event is organised by the Ocean

Conservancy www.oceanconservancy.org based in the USA. The data they receive from the event helps them to collect scientific information for education purposes and to gain support and lobby governments and policy makers in an effort to reduce the amount of garbage and pollutants entering the world’s oceans. Last year 648,015 volunteers in 92 countries picked up 5,590,000kg of garbage.

In 2013 Watamu Marine Association (WMA) and partner organization Ocean Sole Foundation www.ocean-sole.com organised the first East Africa cleanup. Sixteen coastal communities took part from Kiunga in the north of Kenya to Mafia Island in Tanzania. Together we collected 9,803kg of marine debris (garbage) from our beaches.

In 2014 we saw another great effort with 41 groups, organisations and schools from 12 coastal communities taking part from Lamu to Dar es Salaam. 14 beaches were cleaned

is a marine zoologist and Chairman

of Watamu Marine Association.

WMA is made up of 30 groups and

organisations from the community,

tourism and conservation sectors

in Watamu. WMA runs sustainable

tourism and ecotourism projects,

community waste management and recycling

enterprises and marine conservation and research

programs.


Facebook watamumarineassociation

www.watamu.biz

Steve Trott

Watamu Madrassa School children beach cleaning.


covering more than 30km. More than 1,100 people collected 9,803kg of marine debris which was an amazing coincidence as it is exactly the same amount as last year!

Data collected gave us an indication of the most common types of marine debris found on our beaches which are small plastic pieces, polystyrene, plastic bottle caps, plastic bottles and flip flops.

The good news is that plastic and flip flops can be reused or recycled. WMA operates a plastic recycling facility where our plastic waste is put through a crusher machine and reduced to small chips which is then sold by the kilo to plastic recycling industries in Mombasa. Profits from this enterprise help fund the “Blue Team” community waste collectors who carry out weekly beach and village cleanups. Flip flop waste is used by Ocean Sole and Watamu community artists to create unique sculptures, curios and works of art.

The Global ChallengeOver the last 30 to 40 years, millions

of tonnes of plastic have entered the

world’s oceans. Global production of plastic now stands at 288 million tonnes per year, of which 10% ends up in the ocean over time. Most of that - 80% - comes from land-based sources. Litter gets swept into drain systems and ends up in rivers which flow out to the sea.

The plastic is carried by currents and congregates in five revolving water systems, called gyres, in the major oceans, the most infamous being the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, half way between Hawaii and California.

The concentration of plastic in these areas is high and has been described as a “plastic soup” and is spread out over an area twice the size of Texas. What's more, the plastic does not stay in one place; it rotates and stretches for millions of square kilometers.

The amount of plastic being discarded into the marine environment is such that we could eventually see an ocean where the amount of plastics is roughly

one third the total biomass of fish – 1kg of plastic for every 2kg of fish, according to Nicholas Mallos from Ocean Conservancy.

According to the UN Environment Programme there are on average 13,000 pieces of floating plastic per square kilometer of ocean, but that goes up to millions of pieces in the gyres. Many of these particles end up being accidentally ingested by marine animals, which can die of starvation and other problems caused by plastic filling their digestive systems.

Sea turtles are common victims of plastic bags, which when immersed in water look very similar to jellyfish, an important food source for some turtle species. A sea turtles throat anatomy makes it impossible for turtles to regurgitate bags once they've started to swallow.

Plastics can also act as a sponge and absorb chemicals in the water. Sea

Top Left: Marine debris flip flops made into beer coolers.

Below Left: Plastic bottle caps are the most common items found on our beaches.

Right: Flip flops from Watamu beach ready for recycling.


birds, such as albatross, and many fish eat small pieces of plastic mistaking them for food items. This can result in ill health and death. A worrying question is, how does that transfer up the food chain and what is the impact?

Marine debris is now floating and sinking its way to all parts of our oceans. Dr. Kerry Howell, a deep-sea researcher at the University of Plymouth says she has found marine debris in the deepest parts of the ocean. "You're going to a place no-one's ever been to before,

you're going to the last frontier on earth, exploring new places, and you find that our litter's got there first," she says. "It's like going to the moon and finding a crisp packet."

Floating ocean plastic eventually breaks down into tiny fragments called microplastics, which then make their way throughout the water column and settle in sea bed sediment and beach sand. The impact this scale of pollutant may have on our ocean ecosystems is yet unknown but it doesn’t take a team

of scientists to prove that it will not be good.

Currently teams of scientists, engineers and inventors worldwide are trying to develop cleanup technologies designed to capture plastic in rivers and oceans. These technologies may be a long time coming and will be costly to operate. What we need right now is global commitment from the plastic manufacturers to put measures in place to reduce plastic waste and for governments to create effective policies and waste management plans with adequate financial backing to drastically reduce the amount of plastic waste entering our rivers and oceans.

There is little profit in taking back waste and it doesn't cost us anything to throw it away irresponsibly. But the cost to our oceans and the health of our blue planet could be very high in the long term if we continue as we are. Government-subsidized plastic recycling industries is an obvious solution as well as support and investment in community based recycling enterprises.

In the meantime we can all do our bit and make a difference by keeping our beaches clean and free of plastic waste. If you live near the beach try and join or form a local group and do regular cleanups; get the kids involved and make it a fun event. If you are on a beach holiday each time you go for a walk, take a bag with you and collect what you can. If you visit Watamu, WMA can advise you on where to take it for recycling. Karibu and join us on the beach for the next cleanup!

Sorting plastic waste for recycling after the beach cleanup.

SeA bIRdS, SuCH AS AlbAtRoSS, ANd MANy fISH eAt SMAll pIeCeS of plAStIC MIStAkINg tHeM foR food IteMS. tHIS CAN ReSult IN Ill HeAltH ANd deAtH.


It was a couple of lines in the Kenya Airways magazine, Msafiri, that caught my eye - words to the effect

that Cheli & Peacock’s Tortilis Camp in Amboseli had, on June 1st 2014, gone 100% solar - 24/7.

Well, I thought, is that such a big deal? Surely lots of camps use solar power. How often have I stayed somewhere that encourages me to shower in the evening while the water is still sun-hot, or at least sun lukewarm?

Major Amboseli camp goes with the solar glow

So I started to ask some questions, and yes, it may well be.

This is how it was before. Two 60 kva (kilo volt ampere) generators throbbed away for five hours each, every day, to power the facilities for 40 visitors, 80 staff, two swimming pools and all the rest of the paraphernalia that goes with a camp of that size. The tents, kitchen and public areas were additionally serviced by four banks of batteries, each with its own inverter, thus ensuring continuing 24-hour power to these areas when the generators were off.

Fuelling those two generators took 28,000 litres of diesel every year. The Cheli & Peacock publicity material estimates that burning this every year produced 60 tons of Carbon Dioxide. I’ve never sorted out how gas can be weighed in tons and

is a naturalist, author and lawyer

who has lived in Kenya for more

than 30 years.

Rupert Watson

A ton of Carbon Dioxide

Some of the 190 solar panels that power the batteries


reading several so-called explanations to the question on Google gets me no nearer to an understanding, except it seems generally agreed that one ton will fill a balloon about ten meters in diameter.

One day Stefano Cheli asked himself a question? Why are we producing all this awful exhaust, in a conservation area, when the sun shines for most of 320 days a year? Is there really no viable alternative?

So Stefano looked around, did a lot of sums and quickly realised the camp couldn’t possibly afford to install the infrastructure to replace the generators with solar power. Undaunted, he continued his searches for a solution, and ended up in touch with the South African owned Kenyan company, NVI Energy, whose Solar4Africa has been involved in the installation of solar energy projects all over Africa. The company targets both off-grid (diesel

users) and on-grid sites with its solar alternatives. And this is what they worked out together.

Solar4Africa would install all the capital equipment, at its own expense - and continue to own it. It would also manage and maintain the whole system. The camp would pay for the electricity it consumes on a pay-for-use basis at a rate that ensures it never pays more than the cost of the generator-supplied power it used to use. This cost was calculated to include the diesel, generator maintenance and depreciation.

So, little change in cost to the camp, but huge change in cost to the environment.

The sun’s energy is gathered up by 190 solar panels, covering an area of 440 m2, and carefully sited for minimum visual impact. These power a bank of 48 batteries, each weighing a colossal 216kgs, perhaps the largest

storage bank in East Africa. The 47 kwp (kilowatt peak - being the maximum power production under full sun) system is designed to replace all the camp’s 28,000 litres of diesel with solar energy.

Once up and running, one of the generators and all the old type batteries were sold, but yes, ‘100% solar’ still doesn’t quite mean what it says and the remaining generator needs to kick in if there are two consecutive cloudy days.

Meanwhile, Solar4Africa manages and maintains the equipment, most of the time without going anywhere near it - to the extent that if a battery fails to charge, this shows on a Nairobi computer. And both companies are exploring further use of the formula they worked out for Tortilis, although to reap the full benefits of such a large initial capital outlay, 40 beds is about the minimum needed to make it worthwhile.

Stefano and Tortilis camp manager Andrea Lanzone among the batteries


By Colin Church

Left: Crowds gather for the 2014 Masai Olympics at Kimana/Sidai Oleng sanctuary in Amboseli.

Top Right: Javelin thrower

Main Photo: David Rudisha the world's fastest 800 meter runner and Olympic champion (rear) is starter for the four finalists from Kuku, Olgolului,and Mbirikani group ranch manyattas in the Maasai Olympics 800 meter race.


Field and track events of traditional Maasai style is the warrior challenge in Amboseli

today – no longer lion killing.The National Geographic Society

sponsored the second ever Maasai Olympics at Kimana/Sidai Oleng on December 13, 2014 and witnessed the current warrior age group of the Amboseli/Tsavo ecosystem compete in traditional Maasai events – hurling the spear (javelin) and the rungu, vertical jumping and running.

Proposed by the menye layiok ‘fathers of the warriors’ representing over 100,000 inhabitants, the new warriors of the 2012-2027 age group have committed to athletics as the passage to manhood, instead of killing lions, the traditional stepping stone to being a recognised adult.

Patron of the Maasai Olympics David Rudisha – Kenya’s greatest middle distance runner, 800-meter world record holder and Olympian super star at the 2012 London Olympics – himself a Maasai - attended the event.

Rudisha challenged the finalists and winners at the prize giving ceremony when he declared: “As a Maasai of this same age group, I am convinced that our people can become great athletes with a cause. By doing so we will introduce a greater and more rewarding challenge to manhood than killing lions.”

Media exposure placed the Maasai Olympics as top human story during the weekend of December 13-14 with coverage on all major global TV, print and radio channels including BBC, CNN, AFP, AP, and Reuters, CCTV

“Our warriors have been training for months before the heats so that all who achieve places are the top athletes of our region,” said one of the winners

A rigorous round of competing heats in all events including two events for girls – 200 meters and 1500 meters – was completed in the build up weeks.

An array of medals and prizes were competed for. But the big challenge for the manyatta-based teams competing was a premier breeding bull for the


manyatta with the highest results overall. This was won by Mbirikani for the second time.

Student scholarships and cash prizes made up the overall pot of winnings for the teams.

“We warriors hunted lions as a manyatta group and now we hunt for rewards in athletics. Our 500-year culture has taken a dramatic turn away from the sport of lion killing ”, said 5000 meter winner David Karisia.

The Games remain embedded in traditional warrior skills – running at 200 meters, 800 meters and 5000 meters, and three field events – throwing the spear (javelin) for distance, the rungu for accuracy and high jump, but in the classic Masai vertical fashion - standing – not running up to a bar.

With its emphasis on team participation, all compete for the group ranch/manyatta prize of most points overall. Mbirikani were the winners again this year followed by Olgolului, Kuku and Rombo in that order.

Olgolului won the Chester Zoo conservation award for scholarships.Mbirikani’s 5000 meters champion David Karisia and Olgolului’s

800-meter winner Charles Sankale won the coveted winners of the places in the 2015 New York Marathon

Other major sponsors include Chester Zoo with a conservation prize, African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), InterActions and Solidarity (Monaco), Charles Tate (USA) and the Maasai Wilderness Trust (providing two New York Marathon prizes).

Contributors include Amboseli Trust for Elephants, Olive Branch (providing the use of the Kimana/Sidai Oleng Wildlife Sanctuary, Ol Donyo Lodge/Great Plains Conservation, Loan Travis (USA, East African Portland Cement, Marleen Groen (Netherlands) and writer/photographer, Carol Beckwith (USA).

Co-founder with the Maasai community of Amboseli/Tsavo – and organizing sponsor of Maasai Olympics is Big Life Foundation.

The first ever Maasai Olympics was staged in December 2012. It runs on a bi-annual calendar with a build up momentum of rigorous training amongst the thousands of young warriors and girls in the period prior to the heats and actual event. It is aimed at creating a new generation of highly skilled and motivated Maasai athletes to compete in national and international events instead of the traditional lion killing of the past.

The next event is scheduled for December 2016.

Top Right: Crowds cheer on 5000 meter winner David Kirisia of Mbirikani Group Ranch manyatta in 16 minutes 12 seconds.

Below Right: Warriors of Mbirikani of the Masai Olympics hold the winners cup aloft.

Below: Charles Sankale 800m runner of Olgolului Group Ranch manyatta congratulated by David Rudisha.


Conservationists of all shades recently trooped to Kora National Park, popularly known

as ‘the last wilderness’, to respond to the above call at the climax of the 25th anniversary of the death of legendary conservationist George Adamson, ‘the Lion Man of Africa’.

Like the Biblical grain of wheat, which must die to bring forth new and better life, George Adamson’s horrific death inspired a legion of conservationists the world over.

George Adamson was the poster child of Kenya’s conservation prowess for decades and put the country on the world map. His image as a sun-gnarled figure with mane of yellow white hair usually dressed in shorts and sandals with the signature pipe and whisky, remains etched in many of his fans’ minds.

The conservation icon and his wife, Joy Adamson, are best known through their gripping movie Born Free (1966) and best-selling book under the same title. The movie is based on the true story of Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned cub they had raised in Kora and later released it into the wild but with which they maintained a friendly relationship..

Several other films have been made based on George Adamson's eventful life such as The Lions Are Free (1967), An Elephant Called Slowly (1969), Living Free (1972), Christian the Lion (1972) and To Walk With Lions (1999).

To carry on his legacy, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is working with neighbouring county governments and other stakeholders to create a lion sanctuary in Kora in Tana River County, the area he immortalised through his adventures.

Kora National Park is the third largest park in Kenya after Tsavo East and

Tsavo West. It has bragging rights as the least-visited, utterly unspoilt and the most geographically diverse park in Kenya. The national park was gazetted in 1989 in honour of George Adamson’s wishes and covers an area of 1, 787 sq km.

Its key attractions include pristine wilderness, inselbergs, Tana river, Adamson Falls, George Adamson

graveside, George Adamson Bridge - known as Kora Bridge, Kora Rapids and diverse wildlife and birds. For the adventurous, the places to stay in the park include Kampi ya Simba and Kora picnic site.

Visitors to the park have various activities to engage in at their disposal, including camping, birding, star gazing, rock climbing- Kora Rock and guided bush and walking safaris.

George Adamson was murdered by people who were reportedly unhappy with the success of his conservation efforts and his strange antics of domesticating and living with the king of the jungle.

So, what is the significance of George Adamson’s life and times for the modern generation, a quarter a century after his death?

Though he was deeply loved and respected by so many people all over the world, not many have visited where he used to work, to see how he used to live, and where he was buried. That is why the anniversary was marked by his graveside and in the area he lived and loved.

The commemoration held at Adamson’s grave aims to celebrate his conservation efforts and devise ways of getting the new generation of conservationists to carry on with his legacy.

Participants at the anniversary camped at Adamson’s Camp and Tana River Campsite for the three days where they watched his films, visited cultural manyattas and a gallery exhibition. They also visited Kora Rapids and

“Who will now care for the animals, for they cannot look after themselves? Are there young men and women who are willing to take this charge? Who will raise

their voices when mine is carried away on the wind to plead their case? George Adamson 1906-1989

By Paul Udoto


Kora Rock before participating in a cultural festival in his honour. Lastly, prayers were made by his graveside.

The significance of George Adamson’s life lies in the fact that his legacy seems to be on a shaky ground given that conservationists have warned that lions may become extinct in Kenya within the next 20 years unless urgent action is taken to save them.

Kenya has been losing an average of 100 of its 2,000 lions every year due to poisoning, growing human settlements, increasing farming, climate change and disease. Yet lions have a special place in Kenyans' livelihood and conservation efforts. Other than being the symbol for national strength and role in the ecosystem, they are among the Big Five, a major attraction for visitors to Kenya.

There were 2,749 lions in Kenya in 2002 and their population dropped to 2,280 by 2004 and to roughly 2,000 today, according to Kenya Wildlife Service. The trend of lion population decline is disturbing and

every effort is being made to ensure that Kenya either stabilises its population at the current population or increases the numbers to an ecologically acceptable level. That is the reason the anniversary is significant.

It’s ironic that a renowned British wildlife conservationist put Kenya on the global wildlife conservation map through his pioneering work of rehabilitating orphaned lions in the 1970s and now country he made famous for lions faces possible extinction of the species.

George Adamson was shot dead by Shifta bandits on August 20, 1989, at the age of 83. The late conservationist, then popularly known as the father of lions in Africa, is best remembered for keeping and nurturing a pack of domesticated lions in the wilderness of the expansive park.

George Adamson, the professional big game hunter –turned-warden, first visited Kenya in 1924 and embarked on a series of fascinating adventures that ended when he was shot dead by bandits in Kora National Reserve. Shortly after his death, the government

gazetted Kora as a national park in honour of his work.

‘Mr Lion Man’ George Adamson gained world fame and affection for rehabilitating captive or orphaned big cats for eventual reintroduction into the wild. He believed that lions had a sixth sense and was convinced that a scientific explanation would one day be found about the mysterious, apparently telepathic communication skills of lions - particularly between lions and human beings.

He must be among the few people in the world with the honour of being buried in a protected area.

The burial site makes him lie in the league of American millionaire Sir Northrup Macmillan who was buried near the peak of Kilimambogo in Ol Donyo Sabuk National Park, a few kilometers from Thika Town towards Garissa. Long live George Adamson, ‘the Lion Man of Africa’.

By Paul Udoto who is the spokesman for Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)


How to get thereFrom Nairobi, Kora National Park is in the eastern side and reached either by air to Kinna or Mulika airstrips in Meru National Park or travel by road along the Nairobi-Meru-Maua-Meru National Park road via the Kora Bridge on River Tana and drive along the river till you get to the camping venue which is all set or drive along the Mwingi reserve to Tseikuru, Macuungwa then into Kora or travel by road from Nairobi-Thika-Mwingi-Tseikuru-Macuungwa road and also from Mombasa-Garsen-Garissa-Bangale-Asako road into Kora National Park.

Road distances vary from 320km to close to 480km depending on your point of origin. Private airlines from Wilson Airport in Nairobi and Mombasa or Malindi to Meru National Park are available.

Places to Stay •KampiyaSimba•Korapicnicsite

Kenya the home of the global Born Free brandThe Born Free Foundation is a dynamic wildlife charity, founded by the actors Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna OBE in 1984. Although based in the UK, it prides itself as having its umbilical cord buried in the Kenyan soil. It was described by The Times as “Big Enough to make a difference but small enough to care”.

In 2002, Born Free established an office in Kenya to coordinate support for projects in the region. Today, led by the couple’s son Will Travers, Born Free takes action worldwide to save wild animal lives, stop suffering, rescue individuals and protect species.

From small beginnings, Born Free Foundation has grown into a global force for wildlife. In 1966 Bill and Virginia starred in the classic film Born Free. It told the extraordinary true tale of Elsa the lioness and George and Joy Adamson’s battle to return her to the wild. The fate of the African lion and the charity are inextricably linked, they feature Elsa the lioness on their logo and the true story of her journey to freedom inspires everything the charity does.

The Born Free story has been enjoyed by tens of millions around the globe, inspiring a generation and changing the world’s attitude to wildlife forever. In 2002, Born Free established an office in Kenya to coordinate support for projects in the region. These include elephant studies in Amboseli and Mount Elgon, support of the KenyaWildlifeServiceelephantandgirafferelocationteamandvetunit, lion conflict resolution, anti-poaching patrols, snare removal, bushmeat awareness, legislative reform and protecting the Mount Kenya and Tsavo/ Mkomazi eco-systems. The charity, in collaboration withKenyaWildlifeServiceandthelocalMaasaicommunity,hassupported the construction of dozens of lion-proof bomas in Amboseli. The community members now promote peaceful co-existence between predators and people and no longer see the need for retaliatory killing of carnivores. Kenya Airways joined forces with the charity to raise funds for wildlife conservation in Kenya and across Africa.

“Making the film in Kenya had a tremendous impact. Bill and I learned to love lions and love Africa. Guided by George and Joy we began to understand how every animal is individual and that wild animals belong in the wild.” Virginia McKenna OBE


By ANDREW HILL

Where Luxury and Philosophy Meet

Take an old cattle ranch facing Mount Kenya on 50,000 acres of sumptuous Kenyan savannah. Build eight separate wood and thatch villas to Conde’ Nast luxury travel standards with a hot tub on every veranda overlooking

a watering hole for every view. Add fine cuisine, an extravagant and huge art collection, enlightened Community Conservation programmes and run it all on solar power and sustainable water management and what do you get?

The answer still would not add up to the unique experience that is Segera Retreat. The scope and breadth of it all defies simple addition.

So does the philosophy of the Zeitz Foundation, which is behind it – one whose mantra is sustainability through the 4 C's – “a healthy balance of Conservation, Community, Culture, and Commerce.”


Small wonder that Jochen Zeitz, the man behind Segera, and a chain of allied destinations, was invited to provide a keynote address representing the global business community at this year’s International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Park Congress, a landmark global forum on protected areas in Sydney last November.

In these troubled times of global economic uncertainty, violence and security blighting Africa’s tourism, it takes a wealthy man to propound such views with confidence, and he is and does. We will interview him in a future issue.

Segera oozes high-end luxury, and it takes a privileged pocket to pay for the experience at about $1,000 per person per night. Such people voted Segera as one of the world’s top new hotels in Conde Nast Traveller magazine.

But it’s the kind of place, and experience, that sings “Special” and

Being there reminds you of Africa’s unending magnetism for those in search of space, spiritual refreshment, wildlife and astonishment. And in remarkable comfort.

It’s odd to be writing about a relatively new addition to Kenya’s high-end lodges – Lewa and Ol Jogi are not far away – when the country’s tourism is in the doldrums.

But manager Jens Kozany is unphased, phlegmatic and optimistic. “We are actually doing quite well.

takes the term unforgettable out of the realm of hyperbole and into reality.

There’s something reminiscent here of Out of Africa, the 1985 Sydney Pollack film that launched a generation of safari-suited visitors to the continent and a wave of films, books and shops to feed that curiosity.

It’s not just the yellow Gypsy Moth bi-plane in the hangar, the same one used in the film and flown occasionally by Zeitz, or the convertible Rolls Royce Silver Shadow on display in the garage.

ON SAfARI

FACING PAGE: 1st Left: A Segera room.

2nd Left: Elephants migration with lots of young.

3rd Left: One of the dining areas with gorgeous candelabra.

4th Left: Male Lion in hunting mode.

1st Right: Impalas

2nd Right: Giraffe and zebra in foreground, of the lodge.

Top: The Segera compound. Ancient cactus encloses it all. No need for electric fences.

Below: Editor with the biplane used in Out of Africa, which now resides in the Segera Hangar.


Tourism will increase again, that’s sure, and it’s not all about making money, it’s to share. “

This is not New Age babble or Marketing-Speak but reflects the philosophy of Zeitz, whose foundation set up the Long Run Initiative grouping 35 similar destinations around the world, and allied establishments trading under the banner as Global Ecosphere Retreats (GERs).

The mission of the Zeitz Foundation is to “create, support and sustain, ecologically and socially responsible projects and destinations around the world to achieve long-lasting impact and sustainability.”

“Without ever generating income, we can only preserve so much of this planet, therefore we'll have to create concepts and ideas that are commercially based that will ultimately allow us to increase the amount of protected areas", Zeitz says on one of the movement’s websites.

How does that thinking translate into what happened when Zeitz acquired

the property eight years ago? “The first thing we did was to tear down all the wire fences so that animals could move freely, especially as this is a migration corridor,” says Kozany, all except for the fence to the South, “ to keep the animals away from the communities and keep them safe.”

Community involvement is Laikipia’s watchword and Segera has engaged local people in Grazing Committees so that they can feed their livestock in an organized way at rates agreed by landowners across the plateau.

The lodge employs about 200 local people but the community has, with Segera help, created income for itself by growing and cultivating food with rainwater harvested for the purpose.

“We thought we could teach people how to grow vegetables. What happened was that we created a sustainable business for the community – they sell a lot and women have turned into remarkable entrepreneurs,” says Kozany.

Water shortages are omnipresent on Laikipia. What Segera did was to get

three schools for children built with help from the Zeitz Foundation, all innovatively designed with inverted roofs and water catchment tanks to catch the downpours, feeding school and community gardens. There’s a library, environmental education centre and sports stadium too, also supported by Zeitz Foundation, Segera and neighbouring ranches.

“Many kids just didn’t go to school. They went out and collected water. So now they come to school instead. There’s a programme on hand washing to stop infections, and we’ve noticed that two thirds of the children are now free of stomach upsets. All that in a short time.”

Inside the retreat itself sustainability is a watchword. The place runs on solar power completely with backup generators for emergencies. “We don’t just shine in the front and burn at the back,” says the manager. “We are serious.”

Grey water is recycled for the ornamental and vegetable gardens.

ON SAfARI

Waterbank for school children under construction.


An extraordinary tower shaped like a Samburu women’s neck decoration, which keep 20,000 bottles of African wine cool through a collected rainwater system and solar-powered air conditioning.

There are numerous other touches too that remind you that the governing ethic is not to take things out of the ecosystem for ever.

Small wonder that the animals appreciate the retreat too. Segera has not had a single case of poaching in two years and relies on its own community guards and people to sound the alarm if intruders come into the area.

I saw innumerable elephant on a private game drive in addition to the ones that performed dusk and dawn around the water hole in front of my villa. Martial and Snake Eagles, Silver-backed Jackals were highlights.

The Zoological Society of London is involved in projects to monitor Cheetahs and wilddogs, whilst other conservation organisations work with Segera to monitor and protect lions, Grevy’s zebra and the rare Patas monkey. Whilst Patas numbers fluctuate, these have risen in numbers since Segera’s active conservation efforts started and I didn’t get to see one but only because time was short.

biggest, and the Segera selection is striking in its mix sculpture, painting and artifact. Some are housed in what were once the stables, each door opening to another artist and another concept.

Segera’s Paddock room – you can dine downstairs and lounge upstairs – is, like most public areas, decorated with some of Zeitz’s personal art collection and eclectic antique collection, anything from an ancient hand-written bible to a 1920s alto saxophone.

This is a wonderful space in which to sink into an armchair and look at nightfall over Mount Kenya with elephant, giraffe and zebra in the foreground.

From somewhere, my memory perhaps, I think I could hear Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A playing scratchily on a wind-up phonograph.

No two villas are alike but all are furnished to the highest standards and taste. Guests are encouraged to enjoy the place as the word retreat suggests: “a religious or spiritual term for time taken to reflect or meditate.”

There are no organised daily game drives, no bells sounding dinner. Guests can dine together if they want, but privacy and serenity are respected above all. It can take only 30 guests in the eight villas, which is low-volume high-cost tourism in action.

The villas are enclosed behind a natural fence that has been there for decades and once protected cattle; inside the landscaped garden drips bougainvillea and succulents and indigenous trees interspersed with a salt-water pool and striking sculptures from all over Africa. Zeitz’s collection of modern African art is one of the world’s

ON SAfARI

Some of the exhibits in the Retreat's huge collection which are scattered all over the living areas. They come from one of the largest collections of modern African art in the world.

The SATUBO Beading Group, transforming tradition into financial enterprise.

70 SWARA JANUARY - MARCH 201570 SWARA JANUARY - MARCH 2015

Patrick Agaba is Project Manager for the Ugandan Conservation Foundation. A Ugandan hailing

from the Ntungamo District in the south west of the country and bordering Rwanda, Patrick was born into a family of pastoralists with no interest in conservation. A large swamp in the area ensured wildlife was abundant with sitatunga, wild pigs and herds of buffaloes whose aggressive nature sometimes meant it was too dangerous to get to school. Far from being a conservationist, Patrick says he “grew up with the idea that wildlife were a problem and just good for the hunters”!

Having done well at primary school, Patrick was offered a place at a nearby secondary school but he stubbornly wanted to go to another school, further away, that he had applied to. His father refused so he ended up working as a pastoralist with the family’s cattle. After a year, the headmaster of the local school persuaded him to try furthering his education and he never looked back. However, there was still no idea of working in conservation and a career in banking seemed most likely.

With a glowing report, Patrick was sent to High School in Kampala where he chose to study Mathematics, Economics and Geography. The school had a wildlife club which met every week and went on field trips such as to Entebbe Zoo (now the Uganda Wildlife

From a prospective pastoralist to a convinced conservationist

Education Centre) and Murchison Falls National Park. Patrick says “however interesting and enjoyable, this exposure still did not point me towards a career in conservation”.

In 1991, Patrick became the first member of his family of five brothers and four sisters to be offered a place at a university and, with the help of a government scholarship, attended Makerere University in Kampala from where he graduated with a BA in Geography and Political Science in 1994. Typically there were no jobs and the next year was spent without employment. Then a friend offered him a job in Rwanda, the home country of his mother. After six months, Patrick started working for the Rwanda Ministry of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Resettlement registering Rwandan returnees and helping get assistance from Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) for them to settle. A year on, fate

is a rhino ecologist, who writes and broadcasts about the species from Africa and Europe.HehasanMScinConservation Biology and a PhD based on research into individual rhino identification

and social behaviour. He is a frequent contributortoSWARA.

Felix Patton

University graduation


intervened and Patrick was summoned back by his family to sort out the affairs of a dead cousin and so he was again effectively unemployed.

In May 1996, the chance came to join a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) supported project for the control and management of water hyacinth where the weed was threatening the ecological health of Lake Victoria and thereby the livelihoods of lakeshore communities that depended on income from particularly fishing.

The work was undertaken by the US company Clean Lakes Inc., a specialist in aquatic ecosystem restoration and maintenance. As the local co-ordinator, Patrick was responsible for the office management in Kampala controlling finances, bank reconciliations,

stakeholders coordination and operational support to the government of Uganda.

After some 7 years, the company closed the unit and Patrick joined the Concord International Travel Bureau Limited, based in Kampala, as a tour guide for safaris within Uganda and Rwanda. As Patrick says “this was my first exposure to wildlife and I soon grew to appreciate nature and how wonderful the natural resources of Uganda are”. With his administration experience, Patrick was promoted to assistant operations manager responsible for the logistics of the safaris, strategy for improved marketing and drawing up the annual plan.

With an ever-increasing love for wildlife, Patrick became anxious to

SWARA JANUARY - MARCH 2015 71

work more closely in conservation and the opportunity came in 2006 when he was appointed Projects Officer at the NGO Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF). At the time, UCF was a small but developing UK based charity committed to conserving the wildlife of Uganda following years of civil war, political upheaval and heavy poaching of wildlife. Its sister not-for-profit company based in Kampala was responsible for organising and administering the projects. In essence, UCF works closely with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) to provide resources to assist in solving wildlife issues so, as Projects Officer, Patrick could “at last exercise my passion for wildlife and conservation”.

One of the first projects that Patrick was, and still is, instrumental in developing is termed ‘the Waterways Project’ in the Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area (QECA) in the south of Uganda. UWA needed support for their anti-poaching measures – hippo

Top Left: The water hyacinth problemBelow Left: Patrick the safari operator

Top Right: Working with Uganda Wildlife Authority

Below Right: Waterways Projectpatrol boat


poaching, bush meat trade, ivory trafficking and illegal fishing – and for community and tourism water safety and rescue capability.

UCF have provided much needed patrol boats, boat stations and training for UWA rangers in the QECA. Patrick was involved in determining with UWA where the problem areas were, sourcing materials for the marine stations and contracting and facilitating the International Rescue Organisation and latterly Poole Harbour Sea Survival to carry out the training programme.

Due to this, the legitimate fishing communities are beginning to see a small recovery in their catches and fishing village economies are gradually improving. Control of fishing in restricted areas has also resulted in fewer crocodiles, otters and birds being caught and drowned in the nets. In addition, Patrick has helped with the counting of hippos and so learned a lot about their behaviour. The Waterways Project has been extended into the Murchison Falls Conservation Area.

Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the worst areas for problems

with crop raiding elephants for which, under current Uganda legislation, there is no compensation leading to the communities taking retaliatory measures against the culprits. Patrick has led the project to build a 2 metre by 2 metre trench and fencing in the valleys around communities which has kept the non-jumping wildlife (elephants and buffaloes in particular) away from human habitation. With the finance channelled through UWA, Patrick held meetings with the community to ensure the funding was truly beneficial. He further helped in creating a community/park committee in the Park’s Ishasha sector to coordinate communications, agreements and partnerships.

Dealing with people at all levels is a key part of the job. One day Patrick might be briefing UCF directors on the progress of a project, the next in a meeting with UWA and the Park Managers discussing the challenges they are facing and how best to spend available funds and then the next day making a presentation to a local community in how to avoid human-wildlife conflict. Fortunately Patrick

is a natural ‘people person’ who has developed great empathy for those he works with and for. As he says “working as I do at ground level with UWA rangers and local communities has given me an understanding of the hardships that people have to go through and engendered a desire to help as best I can”.

Patrick was promoted to Project Manager with a wide range of responsibilities including identifying, developing and delivering projects and engaging appropriate stakeholders. Project budgets have to be drawn up

Working with the communities and below working with the Uganda Conservation Foundation team.


and when approved monitored and reported on to the board of directors. Finance for the projects requires assisting with fund raising applications and initiatives. UCF spending on projects in 2013 amounted to over US$120,000 so requires careful management and accounting by Patrick. “I really love my job because I love nature. When I am out in the wild I am transformed by the behaviour of the animals. They have such a calming effect on me after the hustle and bustle of the city”.

Since 2012, UCF has been working with UWA in Murchison Falls NP. Patrick has been instrumental in

supporting elephant anti-poaching operations in the delta area between Buligi and Pakwatch where poachers pose among the fishermen and then set snares to catch the elephants. Says Patrick “UWA resources in Murchison have been stretched with rangers needed to guard the oil exploration activities. The three new UCF funded ranger posts offer much needed facilities for rangers to help protect the elephants but we also need the government to put pressure on consuming countries if we are to win the war on poaching.”

Patrick assists with research work. Alongside UWA, he has been investigating the cause of a serious

skin disease that affects the Rothchilds giraffe in Murchison Falls NP while as a personal member of Nature Uganda he assists with bird censuses.

As to the future for wildlife in Uganda, Patrick is very optimistic if peace and stability remain. He says “whilst wildlife populations are growing, we must always be vigilant as any insurgency can do a lot of damage in a very short time.”

From no interest in, to a passion for, wildlife, Patrick Agaba is a fine example of how it is never too late to make a career in the world of conservation.

For further details of the projects supported by UCF see the website ugandacf.org.

Working on elephant research.

SWARA JANUARY - MARCH 2015 73


PORTFOLIO

On our way out of the Maasai Mara Reserve last year, my 11-year old son, Kaisaan suddenly

directs raptor conservation programs in

Africa for The Peregrine Fund. He has

a fervent passion for photography and

has been working on birds of prey for

the last 20 years. For more information

about his work, please visit:

www.peregrinefund.org and

www.munirvirani.com

Dr Munir Virani perked up and said “I think those hyenas will bring down that wildebeest”. Having never seen hyenas make a kill, I was rather sceptical.

Clicking away in frenzy, we witnessed two hyena sauntering behind a wildebeest. One managed to bite its left hind leg. The wildebeest fell on its front legs. Within seconds, the other hyena tore into the groin of the flaying victim. The wildebeest was now on the ground

as the two hyenas began tearing into the underside of the animal, its eyes wide open, still alive while his tormentors fed on his living flesh. Overhead, vultures circled, preparing to do what they do best. So for those who think that hyenas are mere scavengers, think again. They are without a doubt one of the most powerful and respected predators on the African continent.

SWARA JANAURY - MARCH 2015 75 SWARA JANUARY - MARCH 2015 75

PORTFOLIO


PORTFOLIO


conservation status. Whilst this book focuses on Tanzania, it is still good value for other countries in the region, as most of the species occur there as well. What is also unusual is that the book includes marine mammal accounts of those species occurring off the East African coast. So if you are into Whale and Dolphin spotting, have this book with you. The species account section ends with species comparison ‘spreads’ which are also helpful in determining which species you are looking at. The third part includes descriptions of Tanzania’s National parks and major protected areas and includes the mammals described in the book that are likely to be seen there.

The copy of the book I have is paperback but the covers are encased in removable plastic, making it eminently suitable to have with you in the field. The price is value for money. I would therefore recommend this book as a valuable addition to your field guide collection, whether you are resident in the region or a visitor.

Reviewed by Nigel Hunter

BOOk REVIEW

Culture ClashBy Rupert WatsonISBN#978-9966-757-14-2Published by Old Africa Books P.O. Box 2338 Naivasha, Kenya

SWARA contributor Rupert Watson – lawyer, author and naturalist – is in print again,

and we should be grateful. This time it is a true story revolving around the collection of cattle in 1946 by a young District Commissioner, Hugh Grant, a Maasai herder, Karambu Ole Sendeu, and the herder’s beloved bullock. Karambu speared Grant to death when the bullock was appropriated. The young herder was subsequently hanged.

Watson first heard the story in the 1970s and became fascinated by it; he researched it, interviewed those he could and travelled to the Loita Hills, where the fatal incident took place.

A field guide to the Larger Mammals of TanzaniaCharles Foley, Lara Foley, Alex Lobora, Daniela De Luca, MaurusMsuha, Tim Davenport & Sarah DurantPrinceton University Press£19.95

The fact that it has taken years to write is a reflection of how seriously the legal brain works to draw on available evidence.

In other hands this touching story of what happens when cultures collide might have turned into something of a polemic; in Watson’s, it is so dispassionately told and meticulously researched that the narrative needs no more embellishment that the feelings it arouses in the reader. “None of the details of this story is imagined, and if there are mistakes, they are probably a consequence of innacurate deductions from the available evidence,” Watson writes, in a considered summary of afterthoughts. SWARA readers, and anyone interested in Kenya’s colonial development, will enjoy and be moved by this slim book (151 pages). More please.

Reviewed by Andy Hill

My first thought was ‘why do we need another field guide to African mammals’? But on

closer scrutiny, this book is a welcome addition to that genre. The book is divided into three parts. The first part contains the introductory elements on how to use the book, Tanzania’s major vegetation types and an overview of the taxonomic order followed by the book. The second part is the species accounts of 111 terrestrial mammals and 18 marine mammals. I think it is this section which makes the book stand out. It is the use of some very good photographs for every species that makes the difference. This is particularly useful when looking at the differences between genet species and mongoose species, for example. I am not sure what the definition of larger is but the book starts in size terms with hedgehogs and Elephant shrews, which is a distinct plus.

Apart from the photographs, each species account includes a description, reference to similar species, the ecology and behaviour, the distribution in Tanzania and the population size and


BOOk REVIEW

All books reviewed by SWARA are usually available at The Souk (Karen), the Text Book Centre (various Malls) and

Bookstop (Yaya Centre).

If you have a book for review please send it to: The Editor SWARA Magazine P.O. Box 20110 - 00200

Nairobi, Kenya.

eGuide to Birds of East AfricaBy Terry Stevenson and John Fanshawe with Brian FinchAn Application produced by: mydigitalearth.comPrice: USD 28.99

This is not just an electronic version of the hard copy book. It is an interactive companion

to the Birds of East Africa field guide. It covers Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. It is different to the book, because this application has specific features that will enhance your birding experience. These can be listed as follows:

• TheabilitytohaveHi-resimages,distribution maps and detailed text descriptions of over 1300 bird species, which can be expanded to fill the entire width of the screen in portrait and landscape.

• TheabilitytoviewtheBirdIndexby Common or Scientific bird names either alphabetically or taxonomically.

• Theabilitytousetheoption“BirdCompare” that allows you to compare two birds on the same screen.

• Apersonalbirdlistthatstores

your bird sightings saved to the device that can then be exported through email.• Theabilitytolistento

the calls for more than 1000 species.

For me though, it is the last feature that makes this application so desirable. Brian Finch has spent considerable time and effort collecting these calls, for which we should be grateful. Having them included in this application, adds an important dimension to our recognising and identifying birds in the field. For example, separating Cisticolas by plumage can be tricky, but once the calls are known, life becomes much simpler.

This application can be used in real time to check if what you are hearing agrees with the call provided under that species. You can also use the compare option to check two Cisticolas at the same time.

On opening the application, the front page allows you to select the menu, which has 3 live options – a taxonomic index; an alphabetic index; and a page for making your list (the language option is not active on my version). On selecting the index, you can do a quick search by typing what you are looking for. You can also activate the compare option by hitting the small circle opposite bird, but remember to deactivate after doing your comparison, by removing the tick in the circle when you return to the index list. On bringing

up the species page, you will see the call button below the map and options to play, rewind and automatically repeat the call if necessary.

This application first appeared over a year ago, though that version had some calls missing and a few other teething problems. This edition has remedied that and in addition has included a section called introduction and help. The tips will help you familiarise yourself with the use of this application. Tapping the introduction button, will bring you useful information in regard to landscapes, seasonality, parts of a bird, a map of East Africa, a map of the regions important bird areas and other useful information.

This application is not restricted to Apple ipads, ipods and iphones which of course give access to the Apple App Store. It can be downloaded onto appropriate android and windows tablets and phones, by purchasing it from the Android Play Store, the Windows Phone Store or the Windows Store.

For all those who enjoy birding in East Africa, whether as a resident or a visitor, this application is a must for enhancing your birding experience. I unquestionably recommend its purchase. It is excellent value for money. For those who purchased the original version, I understand a free upgrade awaits you, so that you will also have the complete selection of calls, etc. Lastly my congratulations go to Terry Stevenson, John Fanshawe and Brian Finch in conjunction with my digitalearth for producing this great Application.

Reviewed by Nigel Hunter


Every weekend my husband Adriano and I jump into our white pickup truck and head for

Tsavo East. The vehicle is so covered in red Tsavo soil that even the elephants recognize it. Elephants are our biggest passion. Entering Sala Gate it is like going home. After we cross, the rest of the world no longer exists for us.

We sit and watch elephants for hours. I am unable to stop taking pictures. With my zoom i also try to check on their health; their tusks, their legs, their ears, their trunks. I have therefore accumulated over 20,000 photos of elephants alone and this allows me to recognize them as soon as we spot them. Their images are impressed both on my eyes and in my photos.

I have photographed everything: from healthy elephants, majestic ones, others

with very long tusks, some with wounded or cut trunks, and others with infected or broken legs which have since calcified. For each of the latter, there is a story to tell and for all of these we have asked for help. Sadly for the elephants whose trunks have been cut, we could not do much: we were told that they were probably trying to raid crops and the village people tried to scare them away by chopping at their trunks.

But there are stories with happy endings, rather than severed trunks:

Near Aruba Lodge, we spotted an elephant with a very severe infection in his leg. We immediately informed KWS, marking the area with a white plastic bag, since we had nothing else with us. KWS arrived within a few hours and managed to treat the infection and thus save the animal from a slow and painful death.

So deep is our love of elephants that we financed the construction of six water holes; five near the Pipeline from Mzima Springs, in collaboration with Friends of Tsavo, and one just after the Bachuma Gate in collaboration with KWS. Water is life, for man and for beast.

On April 22, 2013, while observing one of the herds enjoying one of the waterholes, one elephant left the group and slowly walked towards our car. My husband said “Giovanna look! This elephant has a problem”.

A tale of a tusk - with a happy ending

REAR WINDOW

By Giovanna Ghirardello Adriano and Giovanna Ghirardello live in Malindi, Kenya and are retired. They founded Gaia Italy onlus Assocation to help communities along the Coast and have built an orphanage in Pumwani in the Magarini District. They have also built six watering holes in Tsavo East. They spend their spare time in the game parks, mainly observing their beloved elephants. They can be reached on: [email protected]

Top Right: Adriano & Giovanna at Mbololo River, Tsavo East.

Middle: Elephant with ingrown tusk – near Aruba, Tsavo East.

Below: Elephant with infected leg from arrow poisoning.


returned to Tsavo and put these posters everywhere, especially at the Sala, Bachuma and Voi gates. The hotels and lodges and the safari drivers were given copies to display. We stopped passing cars and showed them photos of the elephant, and asked the visitors to call us if they happened to see it.

Two unforgettable days later, there were over 100 posters distributed.

Sadly we had to go back to Italy for about a month, but our thoughts were always with our elephant with the ingrowing tusk, and we could not wait to return.

At the beginning of July, Antonella received a message on Facebook from a Dutch vet who sent her some very special photos. The elephant was found near Satao. KWS and the Sheldrick staff tranquilised it and cut off the end of the ingrowing tusk. The tusk had already penetrated just below the eye by 10-12 cm, causing a deep wound.

We don’t know how to personally thank the vet who by now had returned to Europe. We only know his name Henk Beumer of Wildlife Care International. We would like to meet him and hug him and hope that destiny will make our paths cross. We want to know everything about the operation; how he was tranquilised, how did he wake up, how is he and how much antibiotics was he given. We want to know everything because this elephant is part of us and we will never forget him.

We departed immediately for Tsavo accompanied by Antonella to find him again. At the Sala gate, we were met by joyous personnel. Our Poster is still there, the colours faded, but with a hand written note on it from the vet who carried out the operation: “It has been treated. He now has a clean bill of health. We sat and cried with happiness”.

In spite of looking, we have not been able to find our elephant but others have seen him and told us he is well and the huge hole under his eye has nearly closed. We wish him well and pray that he never comes across heartless humans armed with the poachers’ guns.

REAR WINDOW

Through my lens I could see that one of the elephant’s tusks was ingrowing and had already penetrated the skin under his eye.

The elephant came close to try to draw our attention to a very serious and painful problem. I put down my camera and looked at him straight in the eyes. He was asking for our help! It was not just the eye contact but it was as if our brains were on the same wavelength, allowing us to

communicate with each other. “We will do everything to help you” was our answer. It seemed as if he had understood us as he slowly turned and walked back to his herd.

We immediately informed KWS and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Centre in Nairobi, giving them the necessary details and location. They all assured us that assistance was on its way.

We returned to Malindi and started sending out photos of the elephant by email. The Sheldrick centre confirmed that its search team was already on the job. I shared the photos with our friend Antonella, who posted them on the Internet and Facebook. I prepared posters with the elephant’s photo and my husband Adriano’s cell phone number. I had 100 copies made of this WANTED poster asking anyone who saw the stricken beast to get in touch with us. We

Top: Operating the elephant with ingrown tusk.

Below: Poster with note from vet at Sala Gate.

Documents

CHEATING THE CHEETAH...SWARA JANAURY - MARCH 2015 5 the starting line for some crazy rally. It’s the thoughtless nudging up towards a cheetah at rest. It’s allowing a cheetah to