A female elephant fitted with a GPS tracking collar has made a remarkable journey from Samburu to Marsabit in Northern Kenya - suggesting that elephants are starting to feel safe again. Koya, aged 23, made the 48-mile trek with six of her family, traversing an area once troubled by tribal conflict and ivory poaching. This is the first time a female elephant has ever been recorded making this trip. With community conservancies working to providing secure spaces for wildlife and people, elephants are starting to expand their range once again.

The European Peacebuilding Liaison Office recently released a film examining the effect of climate change on peace in Marsabit, northern Kenya. The beautifully shot documentary highlights how NRT-member community conservancies, local partners and NRT staff are working together with support from the IMARA consortium and others to overcome the challenges of climate change, and work to build peace in an increasingly unpredictable world.

NRT has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and implementing appropriate measures in line with Government guidelines to help keep staff and the communities we serve safe during this difficult period. At this time, all NRT programmes are continuing to operate, however there have been both organisation-wide adjustments made across NRT, and department-specific adjustments, to enable staff and community conservancy members to stay safe.

A one-day carnivore conservation workshop was held in Kalama Conservancy on March 15th that brought together representatives from five community conservancies, NGOs and government. As carnivores continue to be persecuted across Kenya, the workshop focused on ways to reduce human/wildlife conflict with pastoral communities. 

On 10th March 2020, scouts at the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy, Garissa County, found Kenya’s only female white giraffe dead, along with her calf. Initial reports from the community indicate armed poaching as the cause. Ishaqbini Community Conservancy management are working closely with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to establish the facts.

Real-time monitoring software is helping communities to track and tackle devastating locust swarms

A Q&A with Rebecca Kochulem, NRT’s Baringo County Conservancies Director.

There is a locust invasion crisis facing many parts of Kenya. This natural phenomenon has been triggered by the good rains, and now threaten livelihoods and wildlife in and outside of community conservancies. Working with County Governments (Isiolo, Samburu & Meru), National Govt, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and other private entities, NRT has been supporting efforts to monitor the invasion through aerial surveillance. Here is a factsheet on the invasion with more information.

The biggest giraffe satellite tagging project ever is underway, as five NRT member community conservancies partnered with NRT, Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), San Diego Zoo Global (SDZG), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and Shaba and Samburu National Reserves to fit 21 endangered reticulated giraffe (Giraffa reticulata) with GPS satellite trackers. To date, 28 animals have been tagged as part of this project, which will provide important data on giraffe home ranges, movements, poaching and conflict with humans.