Infrastructure Development and Maintenance
Challenge
To deliver good management of protected area, tremendous infrastructure is required including roads, fence and outposts. Good roads in the forest are vital for both law enforcement and tourism and outposts serves as a base for all field operations. Our communities live on the periphery of the forest and are likely to feel the effects of living near wildlife. As many people rely on subsistence farming to survive, their crops were often raided by elephants and other animals, thus all our forest was fenced to mitigate elephant – human conflict.
Activities
Forest trails maintenance
We are working with the Kenya Forest Service and Community Forest Associations to maintain priority forest trails open and accessible. This is a never-ending work as trees, bushes and grass are growing very fast especially in rainy season.
Fallen trees clearance
We remove trees stumbled by elephants or wind blocking the roads to allow access to the forest.
Electric fence maintenance
We support the maintenance of the Arabuko-Sokoke electric fence which plays a vital role in reducing elephant-human conflict whilst protecting the forest boundary integrity.
Outposts reconstruction
Forest is managed from 3 forest stations and scouts and rangers use additional outpost for protection operations. In 2018 we reconstructed malanga and Kakuyuni outposts to allow scouts and rangers effectively patrol adjacent areas.
Impact
110+
KM cleared in 2020
10+
Fallen trees cleared from the roads every month
800+
Pressure treated
2
Fencing posts donated to KWS for fence maintenance