#Kenya: Northern Rangelands News

STORIES FROM THE RANGELANDS

NRT Quarterly

MARCH 2020 ISSUE

COVID-19

How we’re helping prevent the spread, and what it could mean for communities and their conservancies.

Dear ATCNews Readers,

As I’m sure you have too, we at NRT have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic.

We’re implementing appropriate measures in line with Government guidelines to help keep staff and the communities we serve safe during this difficult period. The well-being of our conservancy members, staff, donors and partners is our priority during this time.

However, we are also aware that NRT delivers essential and priority services which our conservancy members rely on, and that we have commitments to our communities, wildlife and funding partners.

It is predicted that the short-term expected impacts of COVID-19 on northern Kenya could include increased insecurity and conflict as household income drops, and immediate drop in tourism revenues, which fund conservancy operations and employ numerous community members. This is already happening.

Furthermore, a lack of access to water and other sanitization resources for many communities means many people will not be able to implement the recommended hygiene preventative measures. Many will also struggle to access medical support if they do contract the virus.

With these serious impacts in mind, we have put measures in place to help prevent the spread of coronavirus while continuing to support community conservancies in their critical work to transform lives, build peace, and secure natural resources. Read more about this here.

We have also issued guidelines for conservancy management teams in preventing and dealing with a potential coronavirus outbreak, in line with advice from the Kenyan Ministry of Health. Read those here.

Thank you for your continued interest and support in NRT, stay safe.

Tom Lalampaa,
Chief Executive Officer, Northern Rangelands Trust

Pangolin sighting and rescue in West Pokot inspires conservation action.

Thought to have disappeared from Pellow Community Conservancy, two new sightings of the endangered pangolin here have inspired fresh conservation action by the community.
Photo by Andy Lowe, via African Wildlife Foundation. // Read more

Paul Allen: You can fight a locust outbreak with tech. Here’s how.

Using real-time monitoring software usually deployed to track and protect wildlife species at risk, NRT and partners are now using the Earth Ranger technology to track the locust swarms in an effort to protect 42,000 square kilometres of Kenya’s northern and coastal community land. // Read more

Biogas project to support forest conservation in Isiolo and Samburu.

55% of Kenyans rely on firewood fuel for cooking – putting immense amounts of pressure on forested areas. That is why in February, NRT, the Embassy of Sweden and Sida partnered to instal 30 biogas units in as many households in four NRT member conservancies. The pilot project was launched under the IMARA Program Consortium and aims to reduce pressure on shrinking forest habitats from charcoal and firewood harvesting by using what pastoralists have plenty of – cattle dung!
// Read more

White giraffe and calf confirmed dead in Ishaqbini.

On 10th March, scouts at the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy, Garissa County, found Kenya’s only female white giraffe and her calf dead, with initial reports from the community indicating armed poaching as the cause. The ‘white giraffe family’ were an immense source of pride in the Ishaqbini community and made international headlines over the years. // Read more

Delegation of Danish parliamentarians visits NRT.

Members of the Danish Parliament led by Speaker Henrik Dam Kristensen and the Ambassador of Denmark to Kenya Mette Knudsen visited NRT in early March where the effective partnership between DANIDA and NRT was showcased. The delegation lauded community conservation efforts to enhance livelihoods, climate resilience, and wildlife conservation. // Read more.

Women in Conservation
NRT’s Peace Coordinator Josphine Ekiru features on Conservation International’s ‘Women on a Mission’ series

NRT in the Media

NRT’s Conservation Efforts in Baringo Featured on NTV
NRT’s Baringo Conservancies’ Director Rebecca Kochulem was featured alongside Ruko Community Conservancy on NTV’s #WomenAndPower segment for spearheading peaceful coexistence between the Pokot and Ilchamus communities, and their effort in conserving the endangered Rothschild Giraffe.
One of Kenya’s Most Popular TV Presenters Visits NRT
In January, Jeff Koinange, a Kenyan journalist and a talk show host of the Jeff Koinange Live (JKL) on Citizen TV visited NRT and toured several community-driven conservation initiatives in community conservancies supported by NRT. Jeff, who was accompanied by NRT CEO Tom Lalampaa, posted on his Twitter handle that NRT ‘is changing lives with an elephant sanctuary run by locals and bead-making by Samburu women for overseas markets’.

News coverage of white giraffe killing: