Institutions:                Smithsonian/NZP, George Mason University /EVPP, 
                                    The Ol ejeta Conservancy.

Field Location:           Laikipia District, Kenya

Within the East African savanna ecosystem, the district of Laikipia, Kenya is a human-dominated landscape, comprised of private and public lands, local communities, conservation areas, and rangelands without the status of having any nationally protected areas.  Land owners with positive local enthusiasm toward conservation, coupled with high biodiversity of the region, provide an ideal environment for academic research and to further my personal interest in community-based conservation.

As a Smithsonian National Zoological Park (SI/GMU Ph.D) fellowship recipient, I am proposing to conduct research on several connected ranches that are forming a group effort at wildlife conservation.  The African Wildlife Foundation is a core member, along with the Mpala Research Centre and the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, in this growing collaboration. Field studies will include trophic-level ecology, GIS and remote sensing.

The Lakipia district is home to a very diverse human population including the Mukogodo Maasai, Kikuyu, and Meru, who live side by side with Europeans, Turkana, Samburu and Pokot.  Cattle-rearing has been common for many years in the area, and is known for its low-intensity grazing practices, which might be a reason for its sustained population of large game.  Laikipia wildlife populations are comparable to the Masai Mara ecosystem, but hold a greater diversity of large mammals, including the second largest population of elephants in Kenya, 70% of Grevy’s Zebra, half of Kenya’s black rhino population, and holds the highest number of endangered species for the entire country.

Examples of wildlife conservation and management conducted in the area include:

• Human-wildlife interaction (predator/livestock)
• National wildlife policy change
• Ecosystem management / ecosystem health
• GIS and remote sensing for wildlife managers
• Community owned tourism programs
• Animal impact on degraded rangelands
• Corridor and wildlife dispersal
• Economics of community areas and conservation

An additional benefit to research in Laikipia is access to partner organizations that have made themselves available, namely the nearby Mpala Research Centre, The Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Laikipia Wildlife Forum, LEWA, and the Department of Range Surveys and Remote Sensing (DRSRS), the Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), which hold important archives and GIS recourses for Laipikia.  To compliment the remote sensing, the Kenya Wildlife Service conducts annual (aerial) game counts.

The rare opportunity presented in Laikipia is extremely valuable to understanding current trends in private/public land ownership and how this affects wildlife and its management.  This opportunity targets my academic interests as well as provides exposure to the practical skills in conservation area management that I desire.  The proposed research provides unique experiences and is value added to international spectrum of the GMU-EVPP program as well as the Conservation & Science program currently expanding at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park.

Ph.D. committee members:

Dr. Larry Rockwood, advisor, GMU-EVPP
Dr. Lee Talbot, GMU-EVPP
Dr. Allan Falconer, GMU-Geography
Dr. John Seidensticker, Smithsonian/NZP

Links to important Kenyan conservation resources: 

http://olpejetaconservancy.org                                      The Ol Pejeta Conservancy

http://awf.org                                                               The African Wildlife Foundation

http://www.laikipia.org/                                                 Laikipia Wildlife Forum

www.lewa.org/ilngwesi_lodge.php                               LEWA Wildlife conservancy