A Guide to Watamu: |
Friends of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest |
Practical Issues |
Watamu Causes: |
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Arabuko-Sokoke Forest - A history and descriptonCoastal dry forest near the East coast of Africa once extended from northern Mozambique to southern Somalia. Now, apart from a few small kaya forests, which were conserved because they were sacred to local people, the 410 square kilometres of the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest is all that remains. The Forest is situated to the west of the road between Malindi and Mombasa, and extends from Gede, south of Malindi, almost to Kilifi, approximately half way along the main road to Mombasa. The Forest is home to six endangered bird species, two of them endemic, and
three rare mammals, so its conservation is obviously important. The Forest was gazetted as a Forest Reserve in 1943 and managed by the Forest Department (FD) until 1991 when the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) became a partner in its management and opened it up for tourists. Kenya Forest Research Institute (KEFRI) and the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) joined the management team more recently, and in recent years projects, such as butterfly pupae production and bee keeping, have been started in an effort to help local people make a legitimate living from the Forest. Friends of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest (FoASF) was only started in October 1999 by concerned individuals and institutions to link people interested in the conservation of the Forest with the present Forest Managers. In mid-December 1999, the British High Commissioner for Kenya, Sir Jeffrey James - himself a keen birdwatcher and conservationist - officially launched the FoASF on the same occasion as the newly constructed Tree Platform was opened by the Mayor of Malindi, Gideon Mung'aro. Members of FoASF offer both technical and financial support and also get actively involved in joint ventures relating to the overall care and conservation of the Forest. These activities have helped raise awareness about the Forest and have encouraged more people to use it for recreation. A voluntary committee is responsible for the day to day running of Friends of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest and for organising activities that will involve members in different ways. In mid-2000 FoASF has almost 80 members and is growing slowly all the time. Anyone interested in becoming more involved with such work is very welcome and should contact the secretary at either of the above addresses.
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Apart
from local people's understandable need to make a living for their families from
whatever resources they find to hand, elephants and baboons often leave the Forest
and damage the crops of people living on its margins. The Forest is therefore
in constant danger from poachers of wood for charcoal, building and carvings for
tourists in the nearby coastal resorts, and of animals for food. It is also threatened
by people wishing to clear it for agriculture and to rid themselves of nuisance
animals. Friends: |
Partners: |
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