The Project
Wildlife Research, Marine Mammal Studies and Community Development Expedition in Kenya

The Government of Kenya has expressed a strong interest in developing a marine conservation area along the southern coastline, but lacks the finance and scientific expertise to do so. GVI supports Kenyan organisations by examining how the local communities affect and utilizes the region’s natural resources. The expedition also assists communities in development initiatives, such as on how to use resources in a sustainable manner. GVI assists partners in promoting this local framework as the basis for a larger conservation-research initiative in tropical coastal waters and terrestrial areas around Shimoni. Expedition members live and work alongside local researchers, students and staff from the Kenyan Wildlife Service.

Through collaboration with local conservation groups, tourist operators, and local villagers, the expedition combines ecological research with grass-roots conservation efforts. The ultimate aim is the self-financing of conservation through regulated ecotourism and resource use. Community interaction via English language and environmental education is central to the success of the expedition, alongside the scientific research itself. Expedition members have the opportunity to teach English to children and adults, and take Swahili lessons themselves.

The expedition projects include: collecting population and distribution data on marine mammals, determining residence rates and habitat relationships, assessing current anthropogenic impact on cetaceans, assisting partners in developing a ‘code of conduct’, conducting population and behaviour studies of Angolan black and white Colobus, aiding wildlife conservation and community development projects around the national parks, reducing community conflict with wildlife, and helping community environmental education programmes, including low-literacy TEFL teaching through games, activities, art, etc.

GVI expedition members are helping to expand the marine mammal research projects. This includes the observation of Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins, Indo-Pacific humpback whales, spinner dolphins, and other seasonal mega-fauna such as whale sharks and manta rays. Due to extremely limited knowledge of East African delphinids, local and international researchers have initiated the project, and GVI is focusing on examining population ecology of the dolphin species inhabiting the Shimoni area and the Kisite-Mpunguti marine protected area. Once the basic data on population ecology is gathered, levels of anthropogenic impact will be assessed to identify potential problem issues, problem areas and (if required) propose appropriate mitigation measures. Subsequently, we will: a) identify species-specific critical habitats, b) identify sites that should be considered priority conservation areas (refuges with limited human impact), and c) map future dolphin-watch ‘hot spots’.

In addition to the marine work, GVI operates a satellite camp in Shimoni village for the primate surveys in the forest. Expedition members learn rare coral rag forest exploration techniques, and survey the rare black and white Colobus monkeys, studying their behaviour. GVI also operates a satellite camp bordering inland national parks in conjunction with The Kenyan Wildlife Service and local partners. Expedition members attend the satellite camp for a week at a time, on rotation. Projects vary depending upon the needs of the partners at any particular time, but can include elephant relocation and other big game and community projects. Expedition members are also taught some tracking and bush skills. All projects offer expedition members a fantastic experience – camping in view of Mount Kilimanjaro getting a chance see spectacular wildlife and explore classic inland Africa.

Climate Change

At present the marine research programme, in initiating long-term monitoring of dolphin populations, would have the potential to detect changes to a species at a high trophic level that may be affected by changes in ocean currents (and thus prey populations) resulting from climate change. If GVI supports KMFRI in establishing NAGISA long term monitoring protocol, monitoring rocky shores and sea grass beds in the Wasini Channel and Gozi, North of Shimoni Peninsula, then changes in sea grass composition and growth rates and the invertebrate populations would relate more directly to the local influence of climate change. The terrestrial research programme is presently working closely with a community-based organisation (CBO) with the objective of protecting coastal forest habitat and managing natural resource use responsibly. Forests help to regulate local precipitation, water catchments and micro climates, as well as acting as a carbon sink. The CBO, the Shimoni Youth Conservation Project, has already undertaken environmental awareness and sensitization programs in surrounding villages on the resource and environmental value of forests on both a local and global level. Their objective is to gain community management status, thereby limiting timber extraction and preventing clearing of forests – often by ‘slash and burn’ techniques – for agricultural land and property development. The terrestrial programme will also investigate the potential to support a CBO near Taveta in finding alternatives to illegal poaching and charcoal burning – the primary livelihood in an area that does not support agriculture well. Charcoal burning is probably the single greatest threat to forests and woodlands across East Africa, especially in rural communities where it exacerbates the problem of poorly irrigated land. The process of charcoal burning is inefficient in respect of the energy lost in conversion to charcoal, and contributes to greenhouse gases. Finally, the community development program undertakes environmental education with both primary and adult education classes which will incorporate issues of climate change on both global and local levels. The objectives of some of the CBOs the community programme works with, is to improve water catchments and storage facilities, as water availability is often highlighted as a priority area for concern.