Archive for the ‘Habitat Restoration/Conservation’ Category
In coastal region of Kenya we have sacred forests know as ‘Kaya’ forests .We have several of these sacred forest with different names (e.g Kaya Diani, Kaya Ukunda, Kaya Muhaka, Kaya Kinondo). These Kayas usually play a very important role as far as forest conservation is concerned .The Colobus Trust works closely with the elders of different Kayas .This is because these forests are very thick forest where monkeys enjoy staying. There is less human disturbance than in other forest areas. This morning I had a three and half hour meeting with the elders of Kaya Ukunda, a Kaya group that the Colobus Trust works closely with. The meeting was at the Coastal Forest Conservation Unit, a department of the National Museums of Kenya that is responible for supporting Kaya groups. They have allowed us to continue planting trees in various parts of the Kaya that were destroyed by fire. Also, they want to start eco-tourism in the forest. Communty youth will be performing traditional dances and drama to the tourists visiting the kaya. They would also like us to help them create a nature trail in the forest where, according to Digo (community) beliefs, before you enter in the forest there must be certain sacrifices made to praise their god. These sacrifices include a black goat, ‘umba’ and ‘ufuta’. It was so interesting. Thank you. -Philip Ndiritu, Staff Member
Today a team went out to erect the newest Colobridge in a slightly strange place. Johnno the owner of a private house called Norjean found that his Colobus troop were having a slight problem when a branch from his Baobab tree fell down in high winds. It meant that the troop could no longer get onto the roof of his property which is an important route for them to cross the property as well as being a favourite sunbathing spot for the monkeys! So last week Johnno gave us a call to see if we could help! This was definately a first for the Trust, however Phil our Colobridge expert took it in his stride and quickly knew how to slove the problem. So after building our shortest bridge to date at only 8m and an hour and a half of ladder and tree climbing this afternoon the bridge was in place! Sadly the troop were not around to see if it was a success but we are awaiting an update from Johnno! Stuart - Assistant Manager
PLEASE CAN YOU HELP US????? WE URGENTLY NEED FUNDS. The Colobus Trust has been on a plot of Diani Beach for 10 years that is 80% forest. This forest is a habitat for a troop of Colobus monkeys as well as many vervets, sykes, yellow baboons, bush babies, suni antelopes, and many other birds and mammals. It is also the home of our Colobus Trust Cottage which contains our visitors centre, housing for volunteers and an administrative office. The plot also has our rehabilitation cages, our quarantine cages, a veterinary clinic and a nature trail for eco-tours. We have been renting the plot for the past 10 years, and now the owner has put it up for sale and development. There is currently a bid on the plot, however, if we can raise the money to match the price we could possibly purchase it ourselves. If we don’t raise the money to purchase the plot ourselves, we will be forced to move, and all of our hard work we have put into developing the cottage, vet clinic, etc. will be lost! In addition, it will cost us a lot of money to move - money that should be spent on saving the Colobus Monkeys! Please email Jophie at jophie@colobustrust.org if you are able to donate funds to help prevent this tragic crisis!
This Saturday I went with some other volunteers and staff members to a community near Kwale Town in the Kwale District, where a group called the Chitanze Falls Cheka Cheka Medicinal Garden Group were holding a meeting with the Water Resource Management Authority and some other organizations, trying to work out how to promote Forest Conservation in the area. At the moment it’s being done mainly through a tree nursery, but they have other activities to raise money and awareness in the community as well. It felt like such an authentic experience. We were all sitting outside under some large trees that offered a nice shade, and the people from the village sat in what looked like school benches. The women were all dressed in traditional African dresses, and the people from different authorities sat opposite of them in plastic chairs. They would then get up one by one, go stand in the middle, and I assume they talked about how they thought this should be organized. The community people didn’t speak, they just listened, but the atmosphere was very open and relaxed. There was one old man in particular who always seemed to object to what was being said, usually by cracking up the crowd. I think he might have been an elder representative from the community. After the meeting a few of the people from the village performed a play, and one of the staff members next to me explained that it was about a daughter who had HIV, and how her parents wanted a witch doctor to treat her instead of a “real†doctor. Even though I didn’t understand what was said, I could tell the acting was really good. The actors seemed to do a lot of improvising, which they must’ve been good at, since the crowd was laughing most of the time. It was really impressive, and I wish I had understood Swahili enough to follow the plot without a translator. After the whole thing was over, Anna and Christine went for a hike to the water falls, but I was too hungry to dare such an adventure, so I went back to the Trust with the others and had lunch. - Anna, Volunteer |
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The Colobus Trust was established in Diani Beach, Kenya, in 1997 to save the endangered Angolan colobus monkey which was a frequent victim of roadkills. The Trust's trademark is Colobridges - bridges over the roads for save overpass. Gwili, a Welsh volunteer at the Trust reports on the day to day activities in an busy local primate conservation charity 
