The next of the regular walks in the forest is on Saturday 1 April at 6.30am at KWS Gede Forest entrance. The walks are lead by guides and the KWS researcher.
Friends are asked to bring their membership cards to participate. If you do attend we would be delighted if you could send us photographs for the gallery section of this website.
The walks last about three hours and are gentle strolls stopping to identify flora at fauna.
Friends of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest bring to the attention of all our members that today 21 March 2017 is International Forest Day.
Arabuko-Sokoke Forest on the coast of Kenya is of national and international significance being the second most important forest in Africa for birds and in its role as a habitat for forest elephants.
As Friends of Arabuko-Sokoke,
today reminds us of the importance of our work in supporting Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service in protecting this unique habitat.
Thank you so much to the 48 people who attended our lively second annual general meeting on Wednesday 15 March 2017 at the KWS education hall.
For those of you unable to attend chairman Maarifa Ali oversaw proceedings and in his address called upon members to help the Friends of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest other than paying their very welcome subscription.
Having thanked his committee for their hard work Dr Maarifa stepped down as chairman but will remain on the committee along with Francis Kagema vice-chairman, Deborah Goodhart – secretary, Lissa Ruben – vice-secretary, Sammy Safari, Andrew McNaughton, Jonathan Baya, Charo Ngumbao and Helen Curtis. We are delighted to welcome onto the committee Crispin Sharp who is now the treasurer, Lynn Njeri Njuguna from KWS and Ray Muremi from One Twelve printers, Malindi. Nicky Parazzi will leave the committee but remain as an advisor.
Treasurer Jonathan Baya ran through the accounts for the year 2015/2016 and thanked Crispin Sharp for taking over as treasurer.
Ann Robertson formally thanked the chairman and committee for their work during the year.
Nigel Arensen told the meeting that he knows that there is much going on in the forest that Friends are not aware of including research work. He also put forward the idea of quarterly meetings, perhaps with a speaker, but also to update members.
Lissa Ruben gave a synopsis of the road clearances, patrols and many other activities that the Friends had supported during the year. She also thanked Andy Thomas for his donation of four motor bikes to the Friends that will enable the mobilization of the community in the forest. She asked for a show of hands of how many people would attend quarterly meetings, there was a unanimous show of hands and so it was agreed that these would be arranged.
Suzanne King suggested that various Friends set up working groups, to encourage involvement. It was agreed that this is an excellent idea.
Valerie Nicholls asked about the number of elephants in the forest and the number of snares collected last year. Lissa responded that the exact number of elephant is not known but work is underway to get more detail. It was confirmed by A Rocha that 517 snares were found, mostly for duiker.
The new KWS warden L K Lenguro was introduced and spoke of the new CCTV cameras he is putting in place to monitor activity. He said that he is working 24/7 with his staff to protect the amazing Arabuko-Sokoke Forest.
At the end of the meeting Professor Jan Christian Habel from the Technical University of Munich gave a short talk. He has 40 students researching in the forest from the birds to sociologists working with the people. He invited those present to attend the final presentations at Jamii Villas the following day. He said these findings would eventually be available on the internet and the Friends could link it to their website.
Once the proceedings were over some of the audience went for a walk in the forest and a few of us almost saw the elephant at the swamp. Thank you to everyone for their support and look forward to seeing you more often during the year.
Last month Corporal Simon Kirobi from KWS Arabuko approached the Friends of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest for sponsorship for a 10 day desnaring project in the forest. The team asked for food and other supplies including diesel which came to K.Shs 12,600/-.
Lissa Ruben put this proposal to the committee of FoASF and it was agreed that this be a pilot project with a view to finding long term funding. It was decided that rather than giving cash the Friends would purchase the supplies and fill the vehicle.
Six rangers took part in the patrol, with Corporal Simon in charge of their activities. The night patrols were conducted along the fence to observe the illegal movement of goods from the forest to the surrounding villages. Most of the 381 snares picked up had been ‘recycled’ and had caught the targeted species previously and been put back in the same spot.
Lissa Ruben and Nigel Arensen from the Friends met the team, a week in on Sunday 14 August to get a debrief and give them extra refreshments. They found that the rangers had inadequate camping gear – they were using two tents that leak, Nigel Arensen temporarily addressed this by providing a plastic sheet to cover the tents.
Following the success of this patrol we are looking to find funds from sponsors or other organisations to support the patrols for 10 days each month at a cost of K.Shs 18,000/-.
Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Reserve, home to four globally endangered mammals and six globally threatened birds and famous for its innovative Kipepeo Butterfly project, continues to be threatened by illegal logging and poaching.
Today, wildlife and habitat conservation is still a serious challenge in spite of concerted efforts by government agencies and communities living adjacent to the forest. Increased surveillance by Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers, together with community scouts from the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Adjacent Dwellers Association (ASFADA) is required for protection of the elephants and other wildlife in the forest.
Surveillance and patrols are required to deter poaching and other illegal activities at the forest. Arrests and prosecution of over 20 poachers recently is only a beginning. Data collected on illegal activities by community scouts need to be used to identify illegal activity hotspots within the forest, followed by more focused intervention measures to deter increasing threats to the forest and its biodiversity.
Local communities surrounding the reserve (including community members and school children) have actively participated in snare removal walks. Over 5,500 snares have been successfully removed from the forest in the last one year alone. It is estimated that there are over 100,000 active snares in the forest targeting animals ranging from giant rats to elephants!
Illegal exploitation of timber for woodcarving, building poles, firewood and charcoal continues to pose a major threat at Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. Lately, there has been an increase of these illegal activities leading to a notable decline in the number of trees per unit area in most of the forest habitats. Recent oil exploration activities close to the forest boundary has introduced a new major challenge.
Raising awareness on the importance of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest and its unique species is a key element in encouraging public support for conservation. More than 20 primary schools have been visited during awareness sessions, with over 1,500 pupils and 65 teachers receiving information on the value of the forest, its biodiversity and climate change. Strengthening the capacity of local schools to actively engage in conservation has also been enhanced through collaboration with Wildlife Club of Kenya (WCK). Forty-seven school wildlife club patrons have been trained on conservation issues facing the forest, with the knowledge being transferred to their respective schools.
At the community level, over 20 public meetings have been held to date, reaching out to more than 1,700 community members. Fourteen bird watchers from the area have also been trained on how to map bird distribution through Kenya Bird Map.
Nature Kenya, through funding from NABU (the BirdLife partner in Germany) has continued to support improvement of local capacity through diversification of skills. The NABU funded project aims at contributing to the implementation of the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Elephant Conservation Action Plan. The project’s overall goal is to contribute to the conservation of a viable elephant population in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, with specific objectives to:
“The People Partner with Nature Program” developed by BirdLife Denmark (DOF) together with three BirdLife partners; Nature Kenya, Nature Uganda and Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN), also runs in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. The Program’s long-term objective is to reduce the depletion of six forested Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and contribute to the realization of best and most sustainable forest management practices for the benefit of all. Three out of the six IBAs are in Kenya – Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Dakatcha Woodland and Taita Hills forests. The other three are located in Uganda and Nepal. The program is funded by DANIDA via the Danish umbrella NGO/training organization Civil Society in Development (CISU).
Arabuko-Sokoke Forest is the last large remnant of the East African coastal forest. The forest covers about 420 km2 and is an important conservation area due to its biodiversity richness. The forest is internationally renowned for its rare bird and mammal species and diversity of habitats. The Globally Endangered Clarke’s Weaver, Sokoke Pipit, Amani Sunbird, Spotted Ground Thrush and Sokoke Scops Owl are found in the forest, which is home to twenty per cent of the bird species and thirty per cent of the butterfly species found in Kenya. Arabuko-Sokoke Forest is designated as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA), and together with Mida Creek, forms part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
The Friends of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, a working group of Nature Kenya, has also been revived. The formal launch of Friends of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest will be on Wednesday 30 March 2016 at Jamii Villas next to the forest. It will be at 7 o’clock in the morning starting with a walk in the forest followed by breakfast and the first annual general meeting. For more information call 0790 505626 or email arabukosokokefriends@gmail.com