NEW SPECIES LIST:
Mammals:
(9 January 2014)
Rothchild's giraffe
dik dik
eland
tomi
impala
Cape Buffalo
Birds:
(8 January 2014)
Abmin’s stork
Great white pelican
Blacksmith plover
Long-creasted eagle
Verreaux’s eagle-owl
Mammals:
(9 January 2014)
Rothchild's giraffe
dik dik
eland
tomi
impala
Cape Buffalo
Birds:
(8 January 2014)
Abmin’s stork
Great white pelican
Blacksmith plover
Long-creasted eagle
Verreaux’s eagle-owl
It is becoming increasingly important for lands that are managed privately or as non-profit conservancies to assist in global conservation efforts. Conservancies in Kenya serve as critical habitat for species, as buffers areas around national parks or other protected habitats, and also aide in improving landscape-scale habitat connectivity in Kenya.
Soysambu Conservancy is a non-profit organization that is located in the central Rift Valley. This conservancy was formerly a cattle ranch and a dairy owned by one of the most famous early colonists in Kenya, Lord Delamere. The land is now being managed for conservation. The crowned jewel of this landscape is Lake Elmenteita, an alkaline lake that is classified as a Ramsar Site wetland and an Important Bird Area, and is also a part of the Greater Rift Valley World Heritage Site network of alkaline lakes. Ecotourism on Soysambu Conservancy is only now beginning to be developed.
The Rift Valley is changing fast and in the past decade many of the animals that used to be encountered on Soysambu are gone, like cheetahs. Other animals that are found on Soysambu, like the Rothschild giraffe, are a draw for tourists but this species is not native to the region. The founding population of Rothschild giraffe on Soysambu was translocated to the property decades ago because the Kenya Wildlife Service didn't have anywhere else to put them. Regardless of what is gone and what is not native, the wildlife viewing opportunities on Soysambu are spectacular. The dozens of species of waterbirds found on Lake Elmenteita may be one of the best attractions for tourists.
Soysambu Conservancy is a non-profit organization that is located in the central Rift Valley. This conservancy was formerly a cattle ranch and a dairy owned by one of the most famous early colonists in Kenya, Lord Delamere. The land is now being managed for conservation. The crowned jewel of this landscape is Lake Elmenteita, an alkaline lake that is classified as a Ramsar Site wetland and an Important Bird Area, and is also a part of the Greater Rift Valley World Heritage Site network of alkaline lakes. Ecotourism on Soysambu Conservancy is only now beginning to be developed.
The Rift Valley is changing fast and in the past decade many of the animals that used to be encountered on Soysambu are gone, like cheetahs. Other animals that are found on Soysambu, like the Rothschild giraffe, are a draw for tourists but this species is not native to the region. The founding population of Rothschild giraffe on Soysambu was translocated to the property decades ago because the Kenya Wildlife Service didn't have anywhere else to put them. Regardless of what is gone and what is not native, the wildlife viewing opportunities on Soysambu are spectacular. The dozens of species of waterbirds found on Lake Elmenteita may be one of the best attractions for tourists.
The alkaline lakes in Kenya, including Lake Elmenteita on Soysambu, are all part of an important network of wetlands in the Rift Valley that function as critical habitat for the Lesser Flamingo and a variety of other species. While many of the lakes are either national parks or have some other sort of protected area status they are still highly threatened.
During my visit to Kenya, the Rift Valley lakes were experiencing unprecedented flooding. Although many of the Rift Valley wetlands are ephemeral and their borders seasonally change, this flooding in early 2014 was at greater levels than anyone has ever seen.
In addition, human developments in this region have expanded rapidly. The town of Nakuru that is close to Soysambu, has houses that go right up to the fence around the Lake Nakuru National Park, which is also experiencing extreme flooding. From inside Nakuru National Park I saw a black rhinoceros that had festering wounds from a territory fight, 25 meters from the park fence. Another 75 meters away, on the other side of the fence, there are houses with laundry hanging to dry on lines and children running in yards.
Without a change in land use practices in the Rift Valley and the creation of buffers to re-connect the protected area habitats in the region, the many isolated habitat island parks will continue to loose the characteristic species that tourists come to Kenya to see. Conservancies, like Soysambu, therefore serve an important function in the preservation of Rift Valley biodiversity.
During my visit to Kenya, the Rift Valley lakes were experiencing unprecedented flooding. Although many of the Rift Valley wetlands are ephemeral and their borders seasonally change, this flooding in early 2014 was at greater levels than anyone has ever seen.
In addition, human developments in this region have expanded rapidly. The town of Nakuru that is close to Soysambu, has houses that go right up to the fence around the Lake Nakuru National Park, which is also experiencing extreme flooding. From inside Nakuru National Park I saw a black rhinoceros that had festering wounds from a territory fight, 25 meters from the park fence. Another 75 meters away, on the other side of the fence, there are houses with laundry hanging to dry on lines and children running in yards.
Without a change in land use practices in the Rift Valley and the creation of buffers to re-connect the protected area habitats in the region, the many isolated habitat island parks will continue to loose the characteristic species that tourists come to Kenya to see. Conservancies, like Soysambu, therefore serve an important function in the preservation of Rift Valley biodiversity.
Statue of the original Lord Delamere: