THE VIEWFINDER NEWSLETTER: ISSUE NO 36, JUNE 2004 [Elephants on the Move] [Saving Kenya's Forests] [Circle of Life] [Africa's First Endemic Species Reserve] [Thought for the Day] Surely everyone knows of Daphne Sheldrick, Kenya's famous 'elephant mother', who has successfully rescued, raised and rehabilitated into the wild literally hundreds of orphaned elephants. Internationally known and recognised, Daphne operates the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust from her home in Nairobi's National Park. Here orphaned calves are brought from all corners of East Africa, and sometimes from further afield. Some are only days old, some weeks or months old, some are injured, many are traumatised. After months of loving care from Daphne's keepers in the safe confines of the park, the young animals are moved to the Tsavo East National Park where they are gradually re-integrated into the wild, joining others who have travelled the same route to adulthood. Today, numbers of elephants in Tsavo are increasing with the planned introduction of whole elephant families from other parts of Kenya, notably the Mwaluganje and Shimba Hills region. It has now been decided that the orphans need to be moved to a more remote area of the park where there is less pressure on their food plants. The new base is in the far northwest corner of the park, at Ithumba. Movement of the young elephants is set to begin this month, with six travelling by road from Nairobi, and four from their former Tsavo base at Voi. Larger animals will travel on foot across the park. The entire procedure is being filmed by a team from the BBC Natural History Unit, over a period of more than a year. One of Daphne's celebrated orphans, photographed in the Nairobi National Park by Rob O'Meara The Forests Bill 2004 was published by the Kenya Government in April. This proposes a totally fresh approach, with a newly appointed Kenya Forest Service to replace the current Forest Department. There would be a Director, a governing Board, and Forest Conservation Committees in different parts of the country. Conservation bodies in Kenya such as the EA Wildlife Society and Nature Kenya, are urging the government to enact this bill as deforestation is a major threat to Kenya. Chaotic and illegal excision of our major forests over time has resulted in serious depletion of this valuable resource - it is said that Kenya's forest cover has decreased to a mere 1.5%. The climatic and environmental repercussions of past policies, not to mention the increased pressure on protected areas brought about by a burgeoning human population, are horrifying. The EA Wildlife Society's outspoken Chairman, Dr Imre Loefler, states that there has to be a change in thinking. "As long as conservation and development are pitted against each other, or are perceived to be in opposition", he says, "conservation will lose out. Instead, conservation must be a part of development and intertwined into the economy. If we do not succeed in this, then wildlife in Kenya will disappear". Fleur Ng'weno of Nature Kenya says that farmers, businessmen, donors and decision makers must change their thinking about forests. Instead of viewing them as sources of fuel, timber or land, they must realize that forests are keepers of water, climate, soil fertility and biological and cultural diversity. As long as logging, charcoal production, cattle grazing and encroachment by farmers is allowed to continue, the situation can only get worse. Everyone with an interest in wildlife and photography must surely have heard of Anup and Manoj Shah, whose photographs have appeared in magazines and calendars all over the world. Based in Nairobi but almost constantly travelling with their cameras, these two brothers have now completed a major book. Entitled 'The Circle of Life, Wildlife on the African Savannah', this is a glossy hardback coffee table book containing some of their best photos of African wildlife. It represents many years of observation in the Serengeti-Maasai Mara area, including the Ngorongoro crater. The photos can only be described as breathtaking. Anup's text is well researched and well written, exposing the wonder that the brothers feel when surrounded by nature in balance. A wonderful book, published by Harry N Abrams, New York. AFRICA'S FIRST ENDEMIC SPECIES NATURE RESERVE Thanks to support from the IUCN-SPN Netherlands, a part of Kenya's highlands is being purchased to ensure the conservation of a grassland biodiversity, and particularly the endemic and globally threatened Sharpe's Longclaw, Macronyx sharpei. This part of the Kinangop Plateau is the stronghold of this bird, but its range is becoming reduced by smallholder agricultural pressure. The bird needs tussock grass in which to nest and breed, and this tends to be removed when cultivating land for crop production. However, grazing is necessary to maintain the tussock grass, and limited numbers of domestic stock in fact help to preserve it. The new reserve will be owned by Nature Kenya, who will hold the land in trust for conservation and provide technical support for the Friends of Kinangop Plateau, a local conservation group, who will manage the reserve and employ a Warden. A initial 45 acre (18 ha) area has been identified which will provide a suitable breeding habitat for at least ten pairs of longclaws, and establishment of the reserve is expected to be completed before the end of 2004. FoKP are also developing a wool spinning and weaving project to generate additional income, and this will encourage farmers to keep larger flocks of sheep, rather than plough the land for crops, which would destroy yet more tussock grass. Birdlife Denmark and DANIDA will assist Nature Kenya with this project. Charlie Simpson of Film Studios Kenya is well known for his straight speaking and his hard hitting comments. He recently came up with one that we cannot resist sharing: Having a smoking area in a restaurant is about as effective as having a peeing area in a swimming pool. |
|
© Copyright View Finders Limited. All rights reserved |
|
