MAY NEWS BULLETIN

Rangeland Rehabilitation & Management

30 Community members from IL Ngwesi and Makurian group ranches currently practising Holistic Management (HM) went on an exposure tour to other HM practising sites. Members from Il Ngwesi visited Oreteti Conservancy to see how they carry out planned grazing. The conservancy is a community learning site for Makurian group ranch. Both Il Ngwesi and Makurian members then headed down to Ol Maisor ranch to see how they carry out bunched grazing.They observed and learnt how Ol Maisor uses herds of over 600 cattle for bunched grazing using 6 herders; one upfront, one behind and two on each side .The herds have adopted and are comfortable with the grazing system. The group had a chance to learn from the herders both initial challenges and successes involved with the practice.

Conservation Enterprise Development

Rumuruti Aloe Women’s Group: Hand and body lotions and creams produced by the group have been approved by the KEBS. Desert Edge is currently working on a formula to help the women improve their soap production. With certification from Kenya Bureau of Standards, the group are now expanding their enterprise and have plans to purchase a cream and lotion processing machine.

Mutaro bee keepers: The group started to work with the CEDP in June/July 2010 and harvested 50kg of honey in July 2010. However, since then, amounts harvested are constantly increasing. In early March 2011, members were initiating their second harvest since the inception of the programme. 125 kg of honey were harvested, worth approx Ksh 13,750. By mid March, ten farmers had harvested 203kg of honey worth ksh 22,330 - a remarkable increase from 50kg that was harvested in total last year.

Kijabe Women: The Nanyongoi women’s group expressed interest in beekeeping at the end of 2010 and purchased 27 log hives. As of early March, few of the hives’ were colonised due to the lack of rain. On the day of the first harvest last month, the women were beaming with excitement as they dressed up in their bee suits confidently smoking, inspecting and harvesting honey with the support of an extension officer. Despite the honey not being completely ready, they still had the sweet satisfaction of tasting their own honey; the enthusiasm and confidence of the women was infectious.
Despite not harvesting much honey as yet, the women take great pride in the fact they are the only ladies they know that have started a beekeeping business.

Environmental Education & Literacy

A new bus will be riding into town soon. The programme is purchasing a new bus for the programme, a Tata 4x4 expected to arrive by 20th May. Meanwhile, the Bus programme that has been running for the last seven year’s non-stop during school season will take a two month break in June and July to evaluate previous EE activities, review the bus programme, hold meetings to understand how teachers implement EE and carry out a trainer of trainer’s workshops for Laikipia.

Rivers & Wetlands Management

Creating Awareness in Ol Moran: North Western CLO Virginia Wahome has been creating awareness on formation of WRUA’s and mobilising people in various divisions of the Ol Moran catchment area. Assisted by the area chiefs, Virginia managed to garner over 200 people to attend the awareness meetings at Ol Moran location (48 people), Donyo loip (103 people) and Luoniek (53).  
Ol Moran is a semi arid area with no major river. Unfortunately most of the boreholes have broken down and almost all the dams have reduced in size due to de-silting.

CETRAD workshop: LWF Community Conservation Manager Josphat Musyima gave a presentation on the LWF’s role in wetlands management at the workshop held to discuss the utilisation of Wetlands in Laikipia. Issues on human encroachment; farming and grazing in wetlands arose, and questions were raised on how people manage to come into these areas and how to get them out. LWF was asked to do more to support CETRAD and WRMA in increasing awareness and protecting wetlands. One of the main points of discussion was the need to change people’s attitudes towards government agencies eg WRMA from being perceived as the enemy.

Forest Management

National Tree Planting Campaign: The Kenya Forest Service Director and the Minister for Wildlife & Forestry attended the 2011 National Tree Planting launch at Shamanek Forest. Repeated calls were made for communities living in the larger Marmanet forest comprising of Shamanek, North and South Marmanet illegally excised for human settlement to vacate the land.  Questions arise on the survival rate of tree seedlings planted where communities are grazing. Last year, a similar exercise was launched and the survival rate was 20%.This remains a challenge.

South Marmanet Forest:The CFA is currently carrying out resource mapping of the forest as they prpare to launch their Participatory Forest Management Process. LWF CCPM Josephat Musyima facilitated a meeting between the CFA, KWS and provincial administration where a local planning team comprised of 58 people was selected and assigned the task of collecting information and mapping out a vision for the forest.

Wildlife Conservation & Management

Elephant threats: Elephants are not only a problem for farmers. Pastoralists have raised concerns over the massive destruction of trees on whose seed pods their livestock depend. They have also raised concern over people get killed and dams being broken. Meanwhile, charcoal burning activities in the Rumuruti forest is proving to be a huge disturbance to the elephants therein.

West Laikipia Fence news

• Placing poles of along the Rumuruti -Maralal road are complete courtesy of Ol Maisor ranch. Security and energiser houses are also complete. What remains is the installation of the energisers. Meanwhile, yellow straps have been placed along the fence line bordering the Narok ranch –considered an absentee landowners ranch.
• Lombala farm has started replacing the section of the fence line damaged by fires that plagued much of the county in March. With help from Ol Maisor ranch they have collected poles and other necessary materials for repairs. A herd of 86 elephants have been resident of late along Lombala ranch near the Muruku gorge.
• Finafran ltd has plans to put up a fence line and have been looking at various designs. The process will soon start.

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