Mau Eburu forest is one of the 22 gazetted forest blocks that comprise the vast 420,000 hectare Mau Forest Complex and the ecosystem doesn’t also doesn’t disappoint in mammal diversity in its gazetted perimeter.
Despite its intrinsic biodiversity and water catchment value, however, the Eburu ecosystem has faced its myriad of challenges including keeping out illegal loggers and charcoal makers and keeping in wildlife that caused unnecessary human-wildlife conflict. Today however, the Mau Eburu Forest Reserve is better protected than ever before.
Yesterday, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Keriako Tobiko commissioned a Kshs 164 million project funded by the M-PESA Foundation.
The anchor-point of the conservation project, which commenced in 2013, involved the construction of a 50-kilometre electric fence and extensive reforestation along the gazetted forest boundary to resolve the persistent human-wildlife conflict and restore the parts of the forest degraded by human encroachment.
“Climate Change is real. It is here with us. For us to save our future generations, we must invest in environmental conservation. The health of our environment dictates in a big way the impact of climate change on communities,” said Les Baillie, Executive Director, M-PESA Foundation.
The partnership project with Rhino Ark Charitable Trust, Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service has seen local communities have been able to participate in, and to reap the rewards of a wide range of conservation-related activities and had also seen the introduction of a conservation based education curricula in 31 schools in Eburu where pupils are trained on the importance of forest conservation.
“This is a great example of the success and impact Public-Private Partnerships can bring to communities,” Said Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forestry.
“The entire project is designed as a long-term sustainable solution, with a key component being the ongoing establishment of the Eburu Trust and accompanying Endowment Fund to continuously manage the fence and support related activities,” said Perez Olindo, Board Director and Founding Trustee, Rhino Ark Charitable Trust.
The fencing was carried out by an experienced team from the Kenya Wildlife Service, using labour sourced from the forest-adjacent local communities. Above ground, the fence is 2.1 metres high. Below ground, it is mesh-wired to a depth of 1 metre so as to block the passage of burrowing animals. The entire fence line is electrified, having three ‘energiser houses’ at strategic points to power up the different sections.
The M-PESA Foundation came up with the bulk of the project’s funding. This support, coupled with bckimg from Finlays and from partner agencies in the Kenya Government, was to prove crucial in enabling Rhino Ark to get the project started.
