GVI Kenya

If anyone has ever tried to read and understand a botany book (botanists excluded), then you will understand what I mean when I say it’s nigh on impossible, and vaguely similar to reading a foreign language.  This is the problem we have encountered for quite a while now…

As part of our forest research programme, we conduct fruit and flower surveys along our transects.  This involves spotting any tree, shrub, plant or vine within 10m either side of the transect that is in fruit or flower.  We then collect a sample, take loads of photos (of the fruit or flower, the leaves and the bark) and take it back to base where we press and dry it.  Once pressed and dried, we back them onto cardboard and add it to our herbarium catalogue.

 Solanum incanum

We do this to establish the floral makeup of the forest, monitor the presence or absence of species over time and in relation to disturbance, and to correlate with sightings of animal species, specifically the primate species. 

Of course all of this is useless if one cannot identify the species!  So instead of spending countless days fruitlessly battling with the botany books, we have started making regular visits to a friendly local botanist, who effortlessly breezes through our samples and puts us all to shame!

 George assessing a tree species

The man’s name is Sayeed, and he works for National Museums of Kenya Coastal Forest Research Unit, and is based in Ukunda which is about one hour fifteen minutes drive from Shimoni.  National Museums of Kenya is the governmental organisation that is responsible for all of Kenya’s cultural and heritage sites, monuments, areas and issues.  The have a vested interest in the coastal forests of Kenya, due to the presence of Kaya’s, which are traditional religious sites and shrines in these forests.  If you would like to know more about those, you can visit some of our earlier blogs which go into them in more detail. 

 One of the more spectacular flowers!

Sayeed finished high school in Kenya, but did not go further in his education than that.  He has been working for NMK for 16 years now, and everything he knows is pretty much self taught.  And trust me when I tell you it’s a lot!  We must have been in his office for at least 6 hours, and we probably went through several hundred specimens and photographs, with only 3 remaining ‘unidentified’ at the end.  And all of this – without a book!  Occasionally he would go rifling through his extensive herbarium (which puts ours to absolute shame!) to pinpoint the exact species, but most of them he would simply tell you after a moments thought.

 Measuring the Diameter at Breast Height (DBH)

When asked how he became so good, or why he does it, he simply replies “I like plants”.  Good answer I say!  Some of his other duties include maintaining and updating the herbarium and looking after the hundreds upon hundreds of indigenous saplings in the NMK tree nursery which is used for replanting in degraded areas. 

People like Sayeed truly inspire me, by their unrivalled and awe inspiring knowledge, as well as their dedication to their work.  And some of the work Sayeed does is really quite amazing.  We are currently raising money for tree saplings on behalf of Friends of Shimoni Forest, and when we have enough to buy and plant these saplings in Shimoni forest, I know exactly whose advice I am going to seek!

*if you would like to help Friends of Shimoni Forest or to find out more please visit www.justgiving.com/shimoni