Newsletter / Blog
2012-07-15 Success - Dakatcha Woodlands, Kenya.
Birdlife Africa
Partnership got a renewed boost to its work in Poverty reduction and policy
making when the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development
(AECID) gave some additional funding amounting to Euros, 500,000 in October
2010.
One of the sites
benefiting from this project is Dakatcha Woodlands that are northwest of the
town of Malindi on the coast of Kenya. It has
been identified as an ‘Important Bird Area’ as it is home to a number of
globally threatened birds such as the Sokoke Scops Owl, Sokoke Pipit and
Clarkes weaver which is only found in two places on earth: Dakatcha woodland
and Arabuko- Sokoke Forest.
Nature Kenya (BirdLife partner in Kenya) have been implementing this project in
Dakatcha, and recently attained some triumph over a proposed Jatropha project
by an investor from the west when the National Environment Management Authority
in Kenya officially rejected a proposal to convert 10,000 hectares of Dakatcha
Woodland IBA to grow the biofuel crop jatropha Jatropha curcus.
Dakatcha woodland
communities continue to benefit from livelihoods initiatives supported by this project,
through its SSG which has two main umbrella groups encompassing over seven
other groups. This initiatives include bee keeping with over 300 beehives
having been distributed and Honey processing unit set up and members trained in
bee keeping and business skills; woodlot establishment has also been
established with the ‘casuraina tree species’ being grown to meet demand of the
communities use of wood thus reducing impact on the surrounding woodlands.
A tourism
visitor’s site has also been established at the Mekatilili site ready to
receive visitors and help conserve the Kaya-Mekatilili forest which is part of
the Dakatcha woodlands. Also Dakatcha Community Forest Association (CFA) has
formally registered with Registrar of societies earning recognition to engage
with Kenya Forest Service in Management of the woodland and Community Forest
Guides being trained and uniforms distributed to boost their forest protection
work.
The Local
communities have also formed a Charcoal Producers Association (CPA) which will
be engaged in sustainable production of charcoal and register all charcoal
producers in the woodland, thus this initiative will greatly reduce the
‘negative effects of charcoal production’ in the area.
BirdLife and its
Partners across Africa are very grateful for
the support from AECID and are tirelessly working towards achieving the goals
of this project.
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