Academic News

We have just come to the end of a very exciting semester. Students have just completed the academic program by giving a very high quality presentation of their Directed Research (DR) results to members of the three group ranches and other interested parties. The highlights of the last two weeks at the Center for Wildlife Management Studies were DR data collection, analysis, write-up, and client presentation. Students worked on three projects. The first project assessed the local community's perception and expectation of conservation initiatives within the Amboseli ecosystem. The major finding in this research was that benefits from wildlife-based initiatives are very important in winning support for conservation efforts and that such benefits may not necessarily be monetary. The second project analyzed the affect of the Namelok fence and implications of land use changes. Results of this project indicated that while it is clear that efforts have been made to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, the community has failed in maintaining infrastructure developed by conservation agencies towards this end. For example, it is through lack of community initiatives that the Namelok fence has been extensively damaged. The final project determined the impacts of elephants and humans on Acacia tortilis woodland. From this study, it became evident that while wildlife, especially elephants, contribute towards the destruction of trees, human impact may sometimes be more destructive.

Students presented these results to an audience of over 70 participants from the community, Kenya Wildlife Service, NGOs, and government officials. These presentations provoked many questions and discussion by all the participants. The community members were very receptive of all the recommendations made by the students and promised to implement many of them. They challenged the center to come up with guidelines for mitigating human-elephant conflicts which have become very severe. Dr. Simon ole Seno, Center Director

Student Reflections

In the past nine months that I have been in Kenya, I have learned many things, seen amazing sights and had countless unforgettable experiences. As we come closer to returning back home, I've been thinking a lot about what I'm going to say when people ask me, “What do you miss the most?” The best answer I can come up with to explain how I feel about Kenya is this: The things I miss the most are not the people I've met, places I've seen or things I've done, but rather the memories of specific moments that I was able to step back and appreciate what was around me. In the Maasai Mara it was seeing a leopard at sunset as we headed back to camp. In Nakuru it was when I dished out beans and corn to poor children at a school in the slums or played Frisbee with school children in Kimana. At Kilimanjaro Bush Camp it was seeing Kilimanjaro everyday, covered in snow or clouds. All of these memories and more have made my experience in Kenya unforgettable and opened my eyes to a whole new way of life. Becky Timbers, St. Lawrence University

Today we gave our presentations to the community and Directed Research is now officially over. The Wildlife Ecology DR focused on assessing human and elephant impacts on woody vegetation. In the field, we measured and identified trees and assessed them for damage by humans and elephants. Due to all the thorny trees, most of us were really scratched up at the end of the week but it was a lot of fun to be doing research while zebras grazed close by. After fieldwork, we did one week of data analysis and one week of paper write-up. All in all, it was a lot of work but it was a great experience that I will never forget. (I will especially never forget how much Kiringe loves to drive straight into ditches). Jessica Pate, UNC, Chapel Hill

For the past few weeks, our DR group has been interviewing local community members about their perceptions and expectations of local conservation initiatives. Interviewing was quite a lot of fun. Most of the people we talked to were very friendly and welcomed us into their home. Remarkably, they were also very willing to give up a pretty large amount of their time to talk to us because each interview took about 30 to 45 minutes. That seems to be the nature of Kenyans. Take everything one step at a time, no hurry, hakuna matata (no worries). The western world should take a leaf out of their book. Today, we concluded our research with community presentations. Local leaders, community members, and various stakeholders gathered in the chumba to hear our conclusions on issues of human-wildlife conflicts and wildlife conservation. Community members had a lot of questions for us and were genuinely interested in what we had to say. It was such an enriching experience to hear their side of the story and to understand the reasons behind their beliefs about wildlife. We wrapped up the experience with a convivial meal of beef and beans in the open air. Julie Viollaz, Mount Holyoke and MacKenzie Jackson, Colorado State University

Today is a day I will never forget. I feel that all of my previous education has aimed at preparing me for the “real world,” and today I finally experienced that. After weeks of field research, data analysis, and write-up, we had the chance to share what we had learned with those whose lives it affected.

I was nervous yet honored to have the opportunity of presenting the findings of our Directed Research to the community and government officials of the area. We were also fortunate enough to hear their opinions. Their questions challenged us and caused us to view our research from perspectives we had not considered. Although the academic portion of our program officially ended today, I feel more inspired now than ever before to explore ways to improve the lives of communities such as these. Sarah Jenkins, University of Redlands

Meet the students!

Previous Page    Back to Kenya News Archive 2006    Next Page