Spotlight Summary The Indigenous Maasai Community The communities living in the Chyulu Hills landscape are socially, economically and culturally diverse. Historically, the western side of this region was inhabited by the Maasai, a pastoralist tribe comprising several distinct groups and clans. These Maasai communities spanned a vast expanse adjacent to the Rift Valley, not only […]
With the increasing likelihood of more frequent and extreme droughts due to climate change and the associated risk to the forest, the Chyulu Hills REDD+ Project (CHRP) partners have developed a plan for preventing, monitoring, and quickly responding to fire outbreaks in the area. In addition to the impacts on both humans and wildlife, fire is also one of the key threats to the carbon stocks on which the success of the Chyulu Hills REDD+ Project depends. The risk from fire can only be expected to increase in the face of higher temperatures and more extreme droughts that are predicted as a result of climate change. However, with the right equipment, training, and collaboration with local communities, it is possible to decrease risks from fire and preserve the integrity of the fragile Chyulu ecosystem.
The 1 billionth Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) credit was issued to the Chyulu Hills REDD+ project following the finalization of the project’s second verification. The team has been collaborating with local community members for biomass sampling and restoration of grasslands. The drought in Kenya has been very challenging, resulting in extensive food security issues and wildfire threats, mitigated in part through emergency school feeding programs and enhanced firefighting training and equipment.
The Chyulu Hills are a volcanic mountain range in south-eastern Kenya and are part of the greater Tsavo Conservation area (TCA) and form a critical wildlife corridor between Tsavo and Amboseli National Parks.
Beekeeping is an important initiative at the Chyulu Hill’s REDD+ Project, offering a diversified livelihood opportunity in honey production for local community members living in the project zone. Through bee-keeping, the project has developed a sustainable mechanism that provides an economic incentive for communities to commit to their conservation efforts, whilst generating revenue from the sale of their honey.
The Sustainable Menstrual Solutions pilot project is gaining steam as it expands across the Rombo Group ranch, creating interest from other communities across the project zone. Education continues to be supported through the awarding of hundreds of bursaries, distribution of school supplies and hiring of new teachers. As wildfires continue to risk the forest, community and wildlife in the project area, the partners continue to implement pro- active mitigation approaches. The project is in the final step of the verification process; new VCUs will be ready for purchase soon.
One of the most important achievements has been the allocation of emergency funds towards a fire management strategy with an arsenal of new equipment and ranger training that the area had not been able to afford in past years. Through allocation of the emergency grants, partners managed to achieve efficient coordination and allocation of the available resources and enable effective force deployment in the event of an emergency.
The Chyulu Hills REDD+ benefits have been shared across the community, allowing for the expansion of a beekeeping enterprise, the construction of a new ranger station, the distribution of hundreds of new bursaries and the establishment of a girl’s healthcare education program. Whilst the project zone has been challenged by an increasing threat of forest fires, new partnerships with adjacent NGOs has resulted in an integrated fire management and response plan. The pandemic continues to limit community engagement and has resulted in an uptick in human-wildlife conflicts.
The Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT) employs a dedicated team of 18 Maasai warriors (Moran), who day in and day out monitor GPS-collared lions and other wildlife species in the Chyulu Hills. Data collected is analyzed and used to gauge various aspects of different wildlife species like their eating habits and the prey selection of lions. The monitoring is also a very significant measure to mitigating human-wildlife conflict within the local Maasai communities.
During the first half of 2021, support for key project initiatives continued despite challenges posed by pandemic restrictions. Support includes funding the Rangers program to maintain patrolling, collecting data and securing operations; supporting livelihood development by issuing and delivering new beehives; disbursing bursaries and scholarships for students in the Rombo and Eastern communities; and making significant investments in a critical fire management plan ahead of the dry season, providing firefighting training to over 300 Rangers (200 community and 100 Kenya Wildlife Service Rangers).
