How conservancies are using technology to protect endangered species

The Borana Conservancy which lies between a vast land of ancient indigenous forest and arid landscape is the home to both the black and white rhino and other endangered species.

Led by Chairman Kip Ole Polos, Laikipia Conservancies Association (LCA) has 8 community based and 20 privately owned protected areas.

The association aims at protecting habitats, and endangered species of plants/ animals from extinction while trying to create a balance on the sustainable use of nature by both humans and wildlife.

Taking a drive through the expansive 32,000 acres of Borana Conservancy, one can't fail to notice the patches of dry landscape to the north in contrast to the greener pastures on the other side of the valley.

40 per cent of land in Laikipia County is under conservation. Thus, the challenge to protect the wildlife and environment comes at a cost.

Over the last 3 decades, Laikipia recorded a wildlife decline of 11 percent compared to 68 percent of the country.

Ole Polos explains that climate change and lack of adequate rain over a stretched period of time has proven to be a challenge to the ecosystem.

Prolonged droughts affect plant regeneration which poses a serious threat to pasture availability.

"We had to provide pasture during the dry period. Now we have solar-powered water boreholes which provide water to the wildlife when the dams run dry,″ said Ole Polos.

At Borana, an automated system known as EarthRanger was developed to help in tracking the movement of wildlife and record where they were sighted in real-time.

The area is divided into eight zones and the system runs on a 24-hour cycle.

A GPS tracker is integrated into the walkie-talkie of the rangers to monitor which areas they have covered during the day.

LCA grants manager Moses Nokisho says:

"The system was introduced a year ago. It has had a significant impact in helping to know the whereabouts of endangered species like the rhinos and locate when certain wildlife have wandered into community land.″

Other than the rhinos, the conservancy has the reticulated giraffe, lions, different species of birds, elephants, and antelopes among others.

The county is also home to 60 percent of Kenya′s endangered grevy zebra and the second largest elephant population at 22 percent after Tsavo.

With the threat of unsustainable and competing land use, human-wildlife conflicts, and cattle rustling, the conservancy has incorporated the communities in conservation with the goal of promoting diversity and protection of wildlife for future generations.

Through the Mazingira yetu program, the conservancy has been able to inculcate conservation values to students and communities. In the first quarter, 395 students have taken education trips and 500 adults.

This is in an effort to make conservation beneficial to the communities by diversifying tourism products and coming up with ways of conserving pasture land to accommodate both wildlife and livestock.

"We work with ten schools in the area and six community groups. We engage the groups as they work on different projects and learn the importance of conservation,″ said Stephen Gachagua who is in charge of the program.

Through the various initiatives, the communities benefit through bursaries, construction of classes, provision of mobile clinics in areas where there are no government health centres and local employment in the conservancies.

Gachagua notes that it′s of benefit for every Kenyan to be concerned about conservation.

"We are losing a lot of indigenous species and it is important for Kenyans to educate themselves and help in protecting them for future generations.″