PROTECTING PRIME WOODY VEGETATION HABITAT FROM DAMAGE BY ELEPHANTS TO BENEFIT THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED BLACK RHINO, OTHER WILDLIFE SPECIES AND INCREASE RIVER WATER DISCHARGE Project Location LEWA WILDLIFE CONSERVANCY KENYA Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya (latitude 0.210142 ; longitude 37.429874 ) Introduction to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy Situated on the northern foothills of Mount Kenya, the 251 km 2 Lewa Wildlife Conservancy (www.lewa.org) is globally recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Fig. 1). Lewa is also an award winning catalyst and model for conservation in northern Kenya providing security and protected habitats to some of Africa's most threatened species, including the critically endangered black rhino (Diceros bicornis), the endangered southern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum), the endangered Grevy s zebra (Equus grevyi) and elephant (Loxodonta africana). In addition, Lewa is an important hotspot of other biodiversity and hosts over 70 large-bodied mammals, more than 440 birds, diverse herpetofauna as well as thousands of invertebrates. This array of wildlife is supported by diverse habitat types ranging from thick forests, scattered woodlands and open grasslands. What sets Lewa apart from many conservation organisations is its deeply entrenched grassroots approach to working with its neighbouring communities to care for the threatened species and fragile ecosystem on which we all depend. Lewa s community development programmes support over 60,000 people annually through healthcare provision, education, clean water access, women s micro-credit, agricultural support, and much more. Why protect the black rhino? The black rhino is Lewa s umbrella species. This iconic species deserves special conservation efforts having suffered devastating reductions in range and numbers across Africa in the 1970s and 1980s due to poaching for its horn. Numbers in Africa dropped by 96% from 65,000 in 1970 to 2,475 animals in 1992. In Kenya, the Eastern sub species of the black rhino reduced from 20,000 in 1970 to less than 390 in 1988. Thanks to concerted efforts of several conservation programmes in Africa, the population of black rhino has risen to the current population of between 5,042 and 5,458 individuals (www.savetherhino.org). During this period, Kenya s black rhinos grew to 696 individuals by 2016 (KWS, 2016). Although poaching was largely reduced from the 1980s to early 2000s, the menace resurfaced in 2008 to supply the rising illegal demand in some of the Far East countries. Consequently, many of the range states including Kenya and South Africa are losing rhinos to poaching at unsustainable rates. Lewa continues to be one of the most successful rhino sanctuaries in Africa. At the time of writing, there has been no poaching on the Conservancy since 2013, an unprecedented success in the current climate. This is the result of several protection and management strategies that have been instituted to ensure the!1
Conservancy s continued success. Among others, the results of these strategies are that today, Lewa is home to 11% and 14% of Kenya s black and white rhino stocks respectively. The increase of poaching throughout Kenya has resulted in a national average growth rate <5% per annum. Lewa is above this and aims to maintain a growth rate >5% p.a. Our success means that Lewa s rhinos are often translocated to upcoming rhino sanctuaries to start new populations in the country.! Figure 1: Map showing the location Lewa - Borana landscape (LBL) in relation to other conservation areas Challenges facing black rhino conservation on Lewa Apart from poaching that affected Lewa from 2009 to 2013, the other threat facing our rhino conservation efforts is over browsing and subsequent damage to the prime woody vegetation habitats that are essentially the preferred feeding grounds for the black rhino. Black rhinos are browsers as opposed to white rhinos that are grazers. The over browsing and damage of the woody vegetation is attributed to the high population of elephants. A single elephant eats up to 300 pounds of foliage and grass each day. Lewa is a key habitat for more than 6,500 migrating elephants in northern Kenya. As elephants grow increasingly savvy about poaching and the regions where they are at higher risk, they put more pressure on the protected conservation areas where they are safer. There is a 300-mile elephant migration corridor that passes through Lewa, allowing elephants to travel along their historic migration routes from Samburu to our north through to the Mt. Kenya National Park/Forest Reserve on our south (Fig. 1). While this corridor is essential for the species safety and long-term survival in the region, it puts tremendous pressure on Lewa s wooded areas, to the detriment of the black rhino population.!2
! While elephants can migrate throughout the landscape in search of food, water and other resources, black rhinos cannot. Therefore, it is important that we protect the habitats that are preferred by black rhinos to sustain their growth. In the short and medium term, uncontrolled consumption of the woody vegetation by elephants will reduce the ecological carrying capacity and negatively impact optimal growth rates of the black rhinos as feed becomes scarcer. In addition, it will eliminate the potential of Lewa s rhino stocks from attaining Key 11 status. As a measure to protect and preserve some of these woodlands and promote the recovery of damaged habitats, over time, Lewa has built several small trial ecological exclusion zones to support the conservation of black rhinos (Fig. 2). After trialling many designs and approaches, Lewa has settled on a model that is now considered to be elephant-proof. This fence configuration comprises of 3 strands of wires (two live and one earth) with 3-feet long hot wires / stingers fixed every 2 feet along the length of the 2 live wires pointing outwards (Fig. 3) so as to jolt the elephants as they attempt to break the live wires with tusks. This new configuration of fencing has been extremely effective and has led to over 80% reduction of fence breaking incidents caused by elephants within the trialled areas. 1 A Key Population is an IUCN SSC AfRSG rating to indicate a rhino population whose survival is considered critical for the survival of the species and subspecies. There are three defined types of Key population with Key 1 being the most important at a Continental level. - Key 1 - population increasing or stable or N> 50% of subspecies - Key 2 - population increasing or stable and N=51-100 or N=26-50% of subspecies - Key 3 - population decreasing ~25% and N>50 or N>100 even if population decreasing more than 25% (3-5 years) (Emslie & Brookes, 1999)!3
Figure 2: A map showing the location of the 26 ecological exclusion zones on Lewa. Anna Merz exclusion zone is presented in red outline and is earmarked for upgrade using funding from this proposal. The map also shows three permanent rivers on the Conservancy 3-feet long hot wires/stingers pointing outwards 5-6 feet height from the ground level Figure 3: The new configuration of exclusion zone fencing comprising of 3 strands (2 live and 1 earth) with 3-feet long hot wires / stingers placed every 2 feet along the length of the 2 live wires pointing outwards to prevent elephants from breaking the wires with their tusks Additional Impact: Water Discharge and Retention Establishment of exclusion zones has multiple benefits improving the status of both biodiversity and water discharge and retention capabilities. For example, enhancing forestry through such zones has the added benefit of improving the discharge that is retained for slow release on the conservancy as well as outside our boundaries. The Conservancy is a crucial water source, and the quality of water retention has far-reaching impact across the north of Kenya. For example, the Ngare Ndare Forest Reserve exists within Lewa s boundaries and has two perennial rivers (Fig. 2) which are the only sources of water that feed into the Ewaso Ng'iro River, located further north of Lewa, during the dry season. These two rivers, together with the Lewa River (whose source is the central part of Lewa) (Fig. 2), are also the only sources of water to all the wildlife on the conservancy and those that reside just outside Lewa s northern border. In addition, these three rivers supply domestic water to thousands of community members and their livestock in our immediate north. Lewa has also assisted other neighbouring communities to establish 11 water projects allowing access to clean and safe water, as well as improving the agricultural outputs of subsistence farms of more than 60,000 people. Two of the exclusion zones established in the past have had a remarkable recovery of the woody vegetation. They have also increased the rate of water discharge and retention from the springs that they protect. Established in 2010, one of these two zones is known as the Mbogo Camp located in a!4
high water table. Today, the woody vegetation in this area has significantly regenerated (Fig. 4a and 4b). In addition, immediately after its establishment, a spring developed inside the enclosure. It currently discharges water into the Lewa River that later flows into the community areas north of Lewa. The second exclusion zone known as the Lewa Spring was established in 2000. The objective was to secure the source of the Lewa River as it was exposed to large herds of livestock and people who used to draw water directly from the eye. Hence, it was experiencing a significant reduction in its discharge and high pollution from these unregulated activities. Since then, this river has witnessed high recovery of the woody plants while the increase in the discharge of water has been significant (Fig. 5a and 5b). Lewa has an ongoing environmental education programme that hosts more than 3,200 local visitors to participate in themed environment and wildlife conservation activities and lectures. We intend to firm our topics on forestry and water conservation techniques by using the exclusion zones as learning sites for these groups. We will then encourage and assist the community groups to expand their woodlots back at home. This will be achieved through support of their tree planting and husbandry programmes in two of our neighbouring communities. The ultimate goal will be to increase the size and density of woodlots for firewood, building poles and livestock feed in the community areas.!5
!! Figure 4a: The Mbogo Camp exclusion zone in 2012. This was three years after it was established in 2010 Figure 4b: The Mbogo Camp exclusion zone in 2017. This is eight years after it was established in 2010. Note the significant increase in the density of the woodland!! Figure 5a: The eye of the Lewa Spring before it was protected with an exclusion zone in 2002 Figure 5b: The current state of the eye of the Lewa Spring which was enclosed in an exclusion zone in 2004. Note the significant increase in the density of the woodland. The discharge of the water also increased!6
This request As mentioned earlier, Lewa has trialled several small exclusion zones across the Conservancy and the design has proven to be effective in protecting the browse from damage, promoting recovery of woody vegetation while water discharge from two of the exclusion zones is highly noticeable. Lewa is now ready to build a larger zone to benefit the greater Lewa rhino population while promoting springs discharge. This new large zone will be built in a northern valley within Lewa that is particularly lush and good for rhino (but it has been over utilised by the elephants). The area also has a small temporary river that does not flow for long as the spring has been impacted by the elephants. During the rainy season, this small river drains into the Ngare Sergoi River that bisects Lewa into two (Fig. 2). This area, fondly known as Anna Merz area in honour of one of Lewa s founders, will have a perimeter of 10 km (area = 1,423 acres). By erecting this exclusion zone, we intend to promote the recovery of woody vegetation that will not only benefit the black rhinos, but it will also be highly utilised by the other mammals, birds and invertebrates. The total budget for this new exclusion zone will come to US $86,304, with a preliminary budget laid out below: BUDGET All Prices in USD Materials and labour at $5800/km per for 10 km 58,000 One fence maintenance personnel at $299/month for 12 months 3,588 Two rhino rangers assigned to patrol the block for security, rhino and other wildlife reporting etc at $598/month for 12 months 7,176 Tree planting and husbandry support in two community neighbourhoods 5,000 *Lewa Logistics and Overhead Fees at 5% of cost 3,688 **Processing and Transfer Fees at 12% of cost 8,852 TOTAL 86,304 *includes ongoing maintenance costs, human resource management, government relations, transport, planning and project oversight. ** includes international transfer costs, development, audits, and reporting.!7
Measurement of our success The long-term success of this project will be measured in the following ways: Population performance of black rhinos of which Lewa aims to achieve a growth rate >5% per annum. Increased utilisation of the Anna Merz exclusion zone by black rhinos. In addition, in the medium term, we also expect the following to occur: Increased diversity, abundance and density vegetation especially the woody vegetation. In addition, other wildlife including small-bodied mammals, birds and invertebrates will be expected to increase their utilisation. These changes in biodiversity will be measured through annual vegetation and wildlife transects where various quantitative parameters will be recorded. Increased rate of discharge of the spring that will be enclosed within the exclusion zone. This will be measured by the number of days in a year and distance that this river will flow and drain into the Ngare Sergoi River. In addition, the quantity of water flowing in the temporary river will be measured using a measuring rod at a predetermined location in the year. Increased size and density of woodlots in two of Lewa s neighbouring communities. This will be measured through sampling of selected households that will benefit from the programme.!8