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De la Forêt: Meet Mathieu Bolaa, Wildlife Works Head of Biodiversity for the DRC
By Jerry Nguwa, DRC Communications Lead From a societal point of view, Wildlife Works has worked with local communities to build schools, hospitals, and clean water wells, among many other achievements. It is on the ecosystem level that Wildlife Works has marked the province of Mai Ndombe, if not the whole world. Wildlife Works has given the world what no one thought was possible: the restoration of long extirpated species from the project area such as forest elephants and bonobos. The architect behind this grandiose fit is none other than Mathieu Bolaa, also known as “De la Forêt” (from the forest). An alumnus of the University of Kinshasa, Mathieu “De…
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Mai Ndombe REDD+ Project Sees an Elephant Population Increase
In the western region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the forest adjacent to Lake Mai Ndombe, an ecologically rich and diverse area, which is part of the second biggest rainforest in the world, the Congo Basin. The forest is home to a vast array of species including bonobos, forest elephants, and includes some of the most important and endangered wetlands of the world. The forest has been facing degradation for the past 20 years, with industrial logging being one of the biggest drivers. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was home to about 400,000 forest elephants in the mid-90s and the forest was largely intact. Today,…
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A Day in the Life of a Research Scientist at Wildlife Works
By Jane Okoth At Wildlife Works, the Biodiversity and Social Monitoring department plays a huge role in monitoring and reporting on the impact of the REDD+ project on biodiversity and communities living in the project area. Benard Amakobe, a Research Scientist at Wildlife Works gives us an insight into his typical working day at the department. Amakobe specializes in monitoring biodiversity impacts through conducting research and recording data. “My work procedure is a bit unusual. It would be a big bore if i were to do the usual 8:00 am to 5:00 pm stuff,” he says. Amakobe grew up in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, which has a population of…
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Public Participation Key to Implementing Community Projects
By Jane Okoth For over 20 years, Wildlife Works has been in the forest conservation and climate change mitigation business by funding wildlife and environment conservation efforts. We have been working with communities in the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project to improve their standard of living through job creation and increasing access to social amenities such as water, health and education. This has impacted the lives of over 100,000 people in our project area, helping them transition from the destruction of forest to its protection. Early January this year, Wildlife Works received 447,000 USD from the carbon revenue to allocate to each of the six locations in our project area namely…
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Carbon Credit Sales Fund New Desks to Two Schools In the Kasigau Corridor
Education matters! Wildlife Works is constantly trying to tackle barriers hundreds of children face when accessing education in our Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project. Many pupils at schools in our project area struggled to learn, often because they didn’t have desks and were forced to write on their laps or on the floor during their lessons. This is Meli Kubwa Primary School and Mgalani Primary school, located in a remote location of our project area. When we arrived, the pupils and school administration from Meli Kubwa Primary School welcomed us with songs and dance from the vibrant maasai community which forms majority of the school’s population. In a school that is…
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My Trip to the Kasigau Corridor: Seeing a REDD+ Project in Action
Guest blog written by Vibeka Mair, a Senior Reporter for Responsible Investor who visited our Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in February 2018. Jacob Kazungu has been disabled since birth. Now 72, he walks with a stick and has shakes when he stands up. But he insists he will stand as he presents the work of his community group in rural Kenya. The Buguta Disabled Group supports the disabled and parents of the disabled with a place to come to every day, conversation and most importantly a form of income through the making of toys, jewelry and baskets sold in places including popular fashion website ASOS. “We want to be self-reliant and not begging,” he says. Buguta Disabled…
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Simon Kipsang; The Ranger and Co-pilot at Wildlife Works
By Jane Okoth For some, a wildlife adventure may seem like a normal thing, but that seemed an impossible opportunity for young Simon Kipsang. As a young boy growing up in Nakuru County, Simon only learnt about elephants, lions and other wildlife in school. “Since I was passionate about the environment, I would spend time taking care of trees in my homestead and wished that I would one day come face to face with wildlife,” he recalls thinking. As fate would have had it, his dream has come true. Now at 30 years old, Kipsang is a full time ranger and co-pilot at Wildlife Works. When the husband and father…
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Human Wildlife Conflict; Reducing Tension Between Communities and Elephants
By Jane Okoth When Erick Sagwe, the Head Ranger at Wildlife Works, receives frantic phone calls from the local community about elephants invading their farms, he knows it’s time for him and his team to brace for a long night. “We receive phone calls from community members asking us to help drive away the elephants which have invaded their farms. Despite it being a dangerous job, we go because it is our duty to keep communities and animals safe,” he says. Human wildlife conflict is considered to be one of the biggest threats to the continued survival of species around the world. The impacts can be devastating with people losing…
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Son of a Poacher, 26-year-old Fulfills Dream to Become Conservation Pilot
By Jane Okoth Always calm and composed in his demeanor, Daniel Zuma is not your regular character. As a gyrocopter pilot at Wildlife Works, the 26 year old is living his dream and even more impressively, is dedicated to inspiring his community. Being the first born in a family of five, Daniel Zuma has come a long way. He was not born in a wildlife friendly household – in fact, his father was a poacher, who was tragically killed by a buffalo. Daniel came to realize the importance of wild animals, and he wanted to take care of them rather than destroying them. “If I had decided to follow in…
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A Day In The Life of Wildlife Works Rangers
It is a regular Thursday morning at Rukinga sanctuary. A group of nine rangers are already in a green Toyota Land Cruiser ready for their normal patrol in the bush, which starts at 7am and ends at 4pm. John Mwachofi, the team leader for camp 2.0, and his team started the day with some strategic planning at their camp. As the Media and Communication Officer at Wildlife Works, I thought it would be great to join this dedicated team with my colleague, the Executive Office Assistant just to get a glimpse of what it’s like being a ranger. The team is just a section of 120 unarmed Wildlife Works rangers…
