Academic News

We at SFS-CWMS are experiencing a great summer session. The students have settled down and embarked on the academic program as well as enjoyed Kenya. Our case study this summer is focusing on monitoring aspects of land use changes and associated human-wildlife conflicts, and contribution of community conservation initiatives among the Maasai. The question the case study is attempting to answer is: How can land use practices and resource potentials found in group ranch land (Kuku-Kimana-Mbirikani), be sustainably managed to enhance the economic livelihood of the local population and at the same time promote wildlife conservation? We are using an interdisciplinary approach to answer this question and we are doing this by evaluating how ecological, socioeconomic, and political factors are influencing exploitation and integrity of natural resources, particularly wildlife, in the area.

In addition to receiving several lectures both in the classroom and in the field, students have visited Amboseli National Park. During this excursion the students were able to identify various African game species including Thomson gazelles, Grants gazelles, wildebeest, zebra, oryx, eland, elephants, warthogs, waterbucks, and others. They also had the opportunity to conduct game counts and observe social behavior of some of the mammals.

Students have also been introduced to the current approaches of involving local communities in development and conservation initiatives. This was achieved in two stages; first the students were taken through the principles and techniques of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and they later went on a field exercise using these techniques.

Finally, students have been given an overview on the status of biodiversity in Kenya, conservation initiatives that have so far been put in place or attempted to try and save the country's biodiversity including challenges experienced towards this endeavor. This has been done in a series of lectures covering background information on the ecology, dynamics, and threats to the ecological integrity of the Tsavo-Amboseli ecosystem and their implications on wildlife conservation. Dr. Simon K. ole Seno, Center Director

Student Reflections

Since the moment I stepped foot in this breathtaking country my “cup of joy” has been overflowing!  So many wonderful things have already taken place, but our trip to Amboseli National Park was definitely a highlight. At the gate we were met by the local women (mamas) who were selling their spectacular beaded objects. Once inside the park, we saw an array of wildlife, ranging from common zebra to spotted hyena to elephants. Some of us even saw lions (only in Kenya)! Jamie Gibbs, Waynesburg College

After such an incredible day of identifying animals, everybody is covered in Kenyan dust, and the run to the showers is almost just as dangerous as the black mamba's hiding in the bush. Eventually when you are able to conquer a spot it is icy cold, however the view from the shower stall is unbelievable (the BEST I have ever had). My first shower I was stunned as I stood there face to face with Mt. Kilimanjaro. I forgot all about the cold and fell in love with my surroundings. After that– still in shock from the cold and Mt. Kili – while brushing my teeth I was looking in the mirror and all I saw was the savanna bush land stretching out behind me. It will be these pictures that I will recall every time I take my boring shower in a college dorm bathroom. Francine Polet, Harvard College  

During a visit to a Maasai Boma, we were not only able to experience the Maasai culture on multifaceted and personal levels but were also so fortunate to experience a true sense of welcome from the Maasai. After being greeted with a handshake by all the women and curious smiles from the children, we were ushered into the center of the Maasai culture, the cattle corral surrounded by family homes, made by the women themselves. Not only did the colorfully clad women then sing a welcoming song for us, they also showed us the inside of their homes and answered our eager questions about daily life in the Boma. After returning to Kilimanjaro Bush Camp (KBC), my fellow students and I reflected on how humbled we were to be welcomed so warmly – despite our complete strangeness and clicking cameras – and how awestruck we were of a culture of foreign smells, sounds, sights, resources, and customs but of familiar smiles. Katie Sue Zellner, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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