The COVID-19 Pandemic has hit the Kenya Wildlife Trust hard. KWT has proved that it deserves a future during this difficult period, but we will not to make it through to the end of 2021 without your support.
This is a time when we need supporters like you who value Kenya’s rich biodiversity and growing rural communities to be generous and far-sighted to ensure that KWT can survive and thrive. This giving season, you too can be part of our amazing work. From our flagship Mara Predator Conservation Programme, to being a founding member and home to the One Mara Research Hub, a unique collaborative effort between Mara researchers and the ecosystem’s stakeholders, we have established ourselves as conservation thought leaders.
We need to raise USD 100,000 to carry out our core operations and ensure that predators and people continue to thrive in Kenya’s key ecosystems.
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The pandemic has brought on new challenges to predator conservation. Throughout the year, we have witnessed an increase in cases of human-predator conflict. In October, three lions and a hyena were killed in snares in the Mara. We have since intensified our predator monitoring activities and worked with partners to remove snares that have been set up. We are also scaling up our community engagement efforts to discourage the use of wildlife snares by communities.
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Despite these challenges, we continue to work with communities to develop and implement innovative and effective conflict mitigation strategies such as the use of recycled plastic poles to construct predator-proof bomas. Since 2017, our Mara predator programme has installed 62 predator-proof bomas (livestock enclosures) and is supporting local drama groups to increase awareness on the impact of poison on wildlife through song and dance.
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Through 4 major anti-poison campaigns, we have reached over 25,000 people, preventing predators and other wildlife from being killed across the Mara ecosystem. Our wildlife clubs provide invaluable education about conservation and environmental stewardship to nearly 500 primary school students throughout the Mara landscape.
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Throughout 2020, we have continued to develop and strengthen our landmark programmes that can be scaled beyond the Mara, across Kenya’s precious ecosystems and beyond. As an initial response to the Pandemic, we immediately mobilized several of our partners and distributed awareness posters,
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300 handwashing stations with soap, gloves, sanitizers, and close to 1,000 masks to communities, clinics, and other key public areas across the Mara and around Kitirua conservancy in Amboseli.
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As we approach the giving season, we appeal to you to support us to continue our mission. With tourism revenues at an all-time low and economic safety nets faltering, the need is urgent. The success of these and many of our other conservation activities have only been possible because of your continued support to KWT for the past 14 years.
To find ways to continue supporting us, please visit: https://www.kenyawildlifetrust.org/donate/ |
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Sincerely,
Irene Amoke, PhD
Executive Director, Kenya Wildlife Trust |
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