Since August of this year GVI has been supporting Kenya Wildlife Service and the Colobus Trust to carry out the first national census of the Angolan Black and White Colobus since 2001. Having already completed the census in Shimoni’s forests, we have spent the last few weeks at Gonja Forest Reserve, between the border posts of Kenya and Tanzania. Our Terrestrial Officer, Emma, returned today after finishing off the last of the transects with our team of expedition members. For me playing a key role in the census has been one of the most valuable contributions we have made to the conservation of this amazing animal. Emma, our Terrestrial Science Officer, tells us the news from Gonja… Above: The research team for Gonja Forest Reserve, Emma is second from the right in the top row “After two weeks and twenty two transects, Gonja provided us with just 13 Colobus sightings from 5 troops, two of which were just solitary males. In 2001, the census recorded 24 colobus, which indicates a worrying decline in the population for an area of forest that is under formal protection. Above: The red legged running frog, Kassina maculata, a wonderful find in Gonja But there were some excicitng findings too… we found two new species of frogs that we haven’t recorded before one of which was the beautiful Kassina maculata, or red legged running frog, the second species in this genus that we have found. We also had a visit from a shrew, a Crocidura spp, which was very cute! Unfortunately with over 100 species described that all look very similar, we are unable to identiy which species it is without taking a specimen for identification by experts. Finally our time crawling through Gonja forest also gave us some smaller adventures… the bee nests and army ant attacks were not the fondest of memories but we saw some very very cool spiders!”
Above: The shrew we found, Crocidura sp
Above: One of the spiders that make the coastal forests such an exicting place of discovery
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) declared 2007 the International Year of the Dolphin, an initiative to promote awareness and conservation of Dolphin species around the world. Kenya Wildlife Service took up the challenge, in partnership with corporate sponsors and local tour operators and at around this time last year, the Year of the Dolphin in Kenya was launched here in Shimoni, head quarters for the Kisite Mpunguti Marine Protected Area. We at GVI, undertaking the only comprehensive research on dolphins in Kenya, soon came on board to support the intiative. Since January we have been coordinating monthly schools competitions with Mkwiro Primary School, tapping in to the children’s creativity and love of sport to raise awareness of the importance of dolphins to their coastal community and to Kenya as a whole. Alongside school children in neighbouring Wasini village on the island, and Shimoni across the channel on the mainland, the children have had a busy year designing t-shirts, drawing dolphins in their natural environment, making models, writing poems, rehearsing songs and taking part in football, volleyball and netball competitions. I think my proudest moment was at Marine Environment Day in Mombasa, when they made an incredible sand model of a Bottlenose dolphin and were able to tell us more about Kenya’s dolphins than any other school - proving to us that they really did care about dolphin conservation. Of course the children represent the future of conservation but responsible management needs to start now, and so we have also been targetting the boat crews that take the tourists out to see the dolphins each day. One of the early successes of the Year of the Dolphin was the coast-wide implementation by Kenya Wildlife Service of a dolphin watching code of conduct based on advice we put forward. To help the boat operators and crews understand the code and why for example, swimming with the wild dolphins is not permitted, we have been holding a series of workshops. It was hoped that with the education they received about dolphins and their biology, they would be able to then pass it on to their guests. This not only increases the reach of the environmental awareness, but can also help relieve the pressure they can be placed under by tourists to get too close to, spend too long with, or allow them to get in to the water with the dolphins. We received some great feedback by the crews who have been proud to use the new knowledge they have gained about the animals they have already spent many working years with.
Following my post on 25th November about the new threat of charcoal burning in Shimoni Forest, and concerns that you shared with us about it, I am pleased to be able to update you with some very encouraging news already! Having started reporting what we observe in terms of clear felling and now the alarming number of charcoal ovens that have sprung up, to Kenya Forest Service, they are taking an active interest. Above: The type of tree often targeted for timber, it’s height and canopy size mean that felling it can create a huge clearing as it takes down neighbouring trees Just over a week ago a Forestry Officer came down to Shimoni to see for himself the scale of clear felling near Transect 1. Yesterday he sent four rangers down, to investigate the charcoal burning on Transect 6. They were dismayed not only by the charcoal burning which they confirmed was all illegal, but also the clear felling of land and the cutting of timber. Above: Saw pit on Transect 6, where timber is cut in to planks before being carried out the forest The four rangers dismantled five of the charcoal ovens and apprehended one of the charcoal burners they came across in the forest. At our request they took him to the village chairman to decide what action to take - an important process in ensuring that it is the local community taking the active role in managing their forest. Above: The gap left by a used charcoal oven in Shimoni Forest We are currently supporting the formation of a new community based organisation to spearhead community conservation and management of their forest and I look forward to introducing you to ‘Friends of Shimoni Forest’ very soon. Watch this space!
GVI’s research team headed back in to Shimoni Forest today, to survey the primates along our Transect 1, which runs parallel within 100m of the coastline - the area of forest at most risk of development. We survey Shimoni East forest on a regular basis to keep track of the presence of the Colobus, including ‘Burundi’ troop who have shown remarkable resilience in maintaining their home range over the last two years in the face of the felling of trees in a plot of land being cleared for development at the beginning of Transect 1. So it was good to hear that Burundi troop were still present with two adult males, three adult females and the sub-adult that we had first recorded as a juvenile three months ago. The team recorded two further troops within 500m along the transect, with the excitng news that one small group of an adult male with two adult females also had an infant present - clearly identifiable as being within 3 months of age by its all-white fur colouration. From 3 months their fur becomes grey with the characteristic black and white pelt colouration showing up after 6 months. The third group, observed in an area where we have often seen an unusual troop of predominantly adult males, contained 3 males, 3 adult females and another sub-adult. However the exciting news from the field today was the presence of an African Fish Eagle nest on the transect… the adult eagles were seen and the chicks heard calling in the trees above although the team couldn’t quite see where the nest was today! We will be keeping our eyes and ears open in future to see how they fare. The African Fish Eagle is a beautiful raptor and, for me, its haunting cries are one of the most evocative sounds of my time in East Africa. Fortunately the team weren’t looking up in to the trees the whole time or they would have missed the hinged tortoise along the transect. We are still uncertain of which species we find here in Shimoni, with the both Bell’s and Speke’s Hinged Tortoises potentially in the area, and to confuse matters more, they may also have the potential to interbreed!
The Kisite Marine Park and adjacent Mpunguti Marine Reserve, where we are working with Kenya Wildlife Service to research the dolphin populations, can attract over 200 tourists a day, drawn by the beautiful coral reefs around Kisite Island. The diving and snorkelling can be exceptionally rewarding with the diverse array of marine life. However it is the resident dolphin populations that are becoming increasingly important for tourism in the area, and therefore increasingly important for the local economy.
Above: A traditional dhow As with all wildlife-based tourism though, if not properly managed the presence of tourists can impact upon the very creatures they have come to see. With this in mind, GVI have recently begun assessing the interaction between dolphins and the tourist ‘dhows’ - the traditional wooden boats that once served the monsoon trade routes between East Africa, Arabia and further across the Indian Ocean. Above: Jim records the GPS position of the dolphins so that their location can be digitally mapped Rachel, our Expedition Manager, was joined by Jim, one of our Expedition Members, as they set off at 9.30 this morning with GPS, binoculars, camera and clipboard, alongside the tourists and, rather unusually, a film crew from the UK! With the kind cooperation of the tour boat operators, who are enabling us to conduct this research, we are also taking the opportunity to educate both the tourists and their crew about the dolphins and our research. These tourist dhow surveys will enabe us to assess their encounter rate (how often they find the dolphins) against their search effort (how long they are out on the water looking for them). We hope to understand more about which species of dolphin they encounter, where they are finding them and how long they get to spend with these incredible wild animals. As well as helping us to understand how the seasons affect the dolphins in the area, it will also help us to detect any longer term changes in their populations or behaviour.
The Kisite reef did not disappoint either, as their snorkelling later in the day was rewarded with some massive parrot fish, as well as clown fish, trigger fish, a puffer fish and a young octupus!
Kenya may be most famous for its incredible big game and open savanna, but its coastal forests, although small, are no less significant for wildlife conservation. The Eastern Africa Coastal Forests Ecoregion is in fact the smallest of 25 Global Biodiversity Hotspots but contains the highest density of endemic plant and vertebrate animal species.
Above: one of the Colobus monkeys spotted during Friday’s survey After two years, it is still a great privilege for me to know that a short walk from my office could bring the opportunity to watch the beautiful Angolan Black and White Colobus monkeys in the canopy above me, or a glimpse of the wonderful Zanj Elephant Shrew darting through the leaf litter. Sadly it is also never far from my mind that any loss of coastal forest brings these creatures a step closer to extinction.
Above: Chainsaws are often heard in Shimoni Forest, this tree was recently cut on Transect 6 That’s why the sudden appearance of charcoal burning pits in Shimoni forest over the last few months has caused alarm amongst our research team and many of our friends in the community. Last Friday, GVI’s research team returned to survey Transect 6, our furthest away, only to return with the sad news that in the intervening few months, 5 charcoal burning pits have sprung up along a 500m stretch.
The illegal felling of these trees to slowly burn them in large earth ovens to produce charcoal not only scars the ground but leaves gaping holes in the canopy where troops of Colobus should be travelling, feeding or simply resting.
Above: Charcoal being packed up along Transect 6 Having recently estimated from our research that 5% of the forest we survey has been lost in just one year to clear felling of land, either for agriculture or development, this has added to a sense of urgency in bringing the local communities and private landowners together in finding solutions to the challenge of safeguarding the forest that remains.
I first arrived in Shimoni, a remarkable coastal community tucked away in southern Kenya close to the border with Tanzania, in November 2005, to set up GVI’s wildlife research and community development expedition. Since the beginning of 2006 we have been working closely with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the local villagers to integrate scientific research in to conservation managament of the incredible natural ecosystems found here whilst supporting sustainable development amongst the local communities.
Our marine research programme aims to provide the first long term data on dolphin populations in Kenya, looking for answers to the most basic questions such as which species we have, how many individuals are there, and how are they using the marine habitats. Working in and around the Kisite Mpunguti Marine Protected Area, home to some of Kenya’s most stunning coral reefs, we are also assisting local partners such as Kenya Sea Turtle Conservation Committee to understand more about the endangered sea turtles here.
On dry land, we are undertaking surveys in Shimoni’s globally important but increasingly threatened coastal forest, to assess it’s importance for biodiversity conservation and monitor the nationally important population of the beautiful and charismatic Angolan Black and White Colobus.
With our research base in the remote, traditional community of Mkwiro, at the eastern end of Wasini Island, we have been supporting KWS in community development initiatives, delivering education to both school children and dedicated adult classes, helping the orphanage, and working with community groups to develop sustainable ways of generating alternative incomes.
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