Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

Around 25,000 animal species and 7,000 species of plant have so far been recorded in Kenya [ ] 134 Africa and the Madagascar island. Kipepeo project in Gede, Malindi Arabuko Sokoke forest in Kilifi County is the largest continuous block of indigenous forest in the whole of Coast Province with an area of 370 km². It is a globally important forest for conservation with sever- al endemic species of plants, birds and mammals. It has been ranked as the second most important forest for threatened bird conservation in mainland Africa and one of the 19 important bird areas in Kenya. Over the years the biodiversity of Arabuko Sokoke has suffered wanton destruction from farm encroachment, firewood collection and charcoal making, illegal hunting, and accidental fires emanating from neighbouring farms. In addition, there was increasing human-wildlife conflicts emanating from wildlife destroying crops in the area. To reduce threats and further loss of biodiversity as well as change the local community’s attitude towards the forest, an initiative was mooted in the 1990s to establish an income-gen- erating project based on the local biodiversity. The initiative proposed butterfly farming, and the Kipepeo Project was born. The project involves collecting butterflies from the forest, raising them on the farm, and selling the pupae to the international mar- ket. The project is one of the success stories in the county having managed to generate income for farmers as well as promoting a positive perception of wildlife and biodiversity in gener- al among the locals. The Kipepeo project, managed jointly by National Museums of Kenya and the local community, has about 500 farmers and has employed four people from the local community. Between 1994 and 2001, the project generated cumulatively over US$ 130,000 with positive effects on livelihood and atti- tudes. Currently the project sells over 50,000 pupae per year, as well as hon- ey, and has been self-sustaining since 1999. It also benefits from the vibrant tourism industry where visitors to the coastal beaches visit the project’s butterfly centre at Gede Ruins. Also, in Kenya, the following recommendations and conservation interventions are being implemented: • Promote integrated natural re- source management that includes diversifying farming systems, enhancing natural capital and building on local and traditional knowledge • Development of high value prod- ucts from indigenous plants for pharmaceutical, neutraceutical and cosmetic industries, placing agriculture within the context of society and ecosystem thus empow- ering local communities to address depletion of natural resources and loss of biodiversity • Certification of agricultural prod- ucts, e.g. Rainforest Alliance, where certified products earn a premium price in international markets • Practice conservation agriculture to reduce excessive use of chemicals as well as reduce soil erosion • Increase production per unit area to minimise need for expansion through use of modern technologies. K enya is endowed with diverse ecosystems and habitats that are home to unique and diverse flora and fauna. The country’s rich biodiversity can be attributed to a number of factors, including a long evolutionary history, varied and diverse habitat types and ecosystems, diversity of landscapes and variable climatic conditions. Kenya straddles the Equator with a land area of approximately 583,000km 2 . With a coastline of approximately 640km, the total area of the Kenyan Marine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending 200 nautical miles is about 230,000 km 2 . View of Kilimanjaro from Amboseli National Park, Kenya Sergey Pesterev on Unsplash Kenya