Colobus Trust

Category: Human - Primate Conflict Resolution | Date: Apr 04 2008 | By: admin

Update: 4th April 2008

Yesterday we announced that on the 31st of March 2008 The Colobus Trust management, along with the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of the South Coast Residents Association visited one of the hotels in Diani in response to a report that they were clearing their forest. Representative from the relevant government authorities (Kenya Wildlife Services, The Kenya Forestry Commission & the National Environmental Management Authority) joined us. We found that a large area of forest had been completely levelled in two weeks, with no apparent care for the preservation of the forest. They were also building a trench onto the beach and other disturbance had occurred within the 30-meter buffer zone above the High-Tide Mark. This often forgotten rule was put in place when the beach was protected as part of the Diani-Chale Marine Reserve. There is no enforcement of this protection of the coral reefs and mangrove forests.

We can now announce that the hotel in question was Baobab Beach Resort. Large-scale development of private land, like this case, is restricted under the EMCA Act of 1999 (Environmental Management Coordination Act), the rules of which the developers had completely ignored. This means the area cleared was done so illegally.

The EMCA Act sets out guidelines and requires and EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) to be undertaken before large-scale development starts. This is an all-inclusive process, which must then be put out for public scrutiny in The Kenya Gazette before it is allowed to proceed. This process was ignored and no EIA was undertaken nor was anything posted in the Kenya Gazette.

Currently work has been put on hold for two weeks whilst an EIA is undertaken. We are trying to get in contact with the man in charge of the project. The forest will never regenerate with the large level of disturbance we have in Diani, but we are insistent that they must plan many indigenous seedlings in its place.

Still though this will not be allowed to pass quietly. This experience is heartbreaking for so many of Diani’s long-time residents who used to associate Baobab’s name with people who cared more about the forest and its inhabitants. In recent years, under the new ownership, the current management do not seem to share this dream of eco-friendly responsible tourism.

We have also discovered the reason why this happened right under our noses. The hotel has recently gotten a new contract with the largest all-inclusive package holiday company in the world. They were working until 10 p.m. every night, which is also illegal; to build the new accommodation, swimming pool & restaurant for the new guests they were promised that would arrive weekly. It is unfortunate but the all-inclusive “bargain” holiday resorts in Diani have snubbed the hopes of so many other hoteliers who aim to turn Diani in an eco-tourism resort. They feel that a responsible resort living within, yet not harming, the forest would not only be the morally correct path but also a more profitable one for the industry but also for the economy of our district, one of the poorest in Kenya. This is based on the idea that those who come here for the wildlife, our monkeys, butterflies, birds and trees will feed more into the tourist fed businesses in the rest of the Kwale District (i.e. Maluganji Elephant Sanctuary, The Shimba Hills NR, Kisite Marine Park, etc).

The effect this single incident has had on the wildlife is profound. The techniques used were appalling. First they levelled off the forest with bulldozers, and then they tore up all the topsoil. There was no attempt whatsoever to build around anything. The damage unfortunately goes way beyond just the ancient endemic trees lost. We have received reports of large influxes of displaced monkeys moving into near by forests. Causing high densities during this time of year when naturally occurring food is scarce and every animal waits for the rains to arrive. As well as this a myriad of species will have suffered during the destruction. Larger species arboreal (tree dwelling) or aerial species such as birds, primates were able to flee but many of the smaller terrestrial and arboreal species will have died as the trees fell. As well as this smaller mammal species would have been unable to flee beyond what is left of their forest as they recently walled off their plot. When, behalf of The Colobus Trust, I asked their manager to put in 10 inch squared gaps in the wall for the passage of small mammals, he said that their 6-inch drainage pipes would do and dismissed me. Among the species who lost their lives and/or home were:

Primates: Angolan Colobus Monkey, Vervet Monkey, Sykes Monkey, Yellow Baboon, Greater Galago, Lesser Galago,
Other Mammals: Tree Hyraxes, Suni Antelope, Hedgehogs, Bush Cats, Golden Rumped Elephant Shrews, Bush Rats and the other many unnamed Rodentia species.
Birds: Many will have been able to flee but their nests will have been lost. Primary forest is the nesting place of many of the larger species, notably the Owl & Owlet species and our beautiful birds of prey. The magnificent Silver-Cheeked Hornbills, which nest at this time of year, were among the first to reluctantly flee. Sadly, many will have been, however, lost as the male seals the female within a hole in the tree when nesting.
Reptiles: Tortoises, Monitor Lizards, Great Plated Lizards, Tree Agamas, Green Mambas and the many other lizards and tree snakes found here.
Invertebrates: This is the time of year that Butterflies are plenty, as well as them, other invertebrate species include Golden Orb Spiders, Crab Spiders, Giant Coast Millipedes, Giant Land Snails, Terrestrial Hermit Crabs & the thousands of other dudu’s found in the forest.

We need your help to make something good out of this terrible event. Please help us spread this. We want everyone to know what cheap package holidays and poor enforcement of government laws are doing to Kenya’s remaining coastal forest. We also urgently need volunteers come help us study the impact this has had in more detail and stop it from happening again.

Regards,

Gwili Gibbon
Assistant Manager of The Colobus Trust