Latest Developments in the Water Scarcity Project

Project Update May 23, 2025

Show and tell

Project Update November 25, 2024

[NANYUKI, Kenya] Here at the Wyss Academy, we often ask ourselves “who is this for?” concerning our work, and the answer is always an enthusiastic “for the benefit of Nature and PEOPLE”. But what does that actually mean? It means collaboration and co-design. It means an exchange of, and respect for, traditional and scientific knowledge. Most of all, it means ownership. Nobody has a better understanding of the challenges in a landscape than the people who live in it. It is our duty to act on the needs of the people, not supersede them.  In the last few weeks, the WA Hub East Africa has ramped up its women and youth-led community engagement activities in Laikipia and Isiolo counties of northern Kenya, which were positively received by various community leaders, groups, and residents.     Meetings were held jointly with conservancy managers, representatives from county government and women’s groups, and members of Community Land Management Committees (CLMCs) and grazing committees, who met to agree on pilot sites for activities of the up-and-coming women-led Powering Local Prosperity through Green Growth project. The income generating activities are all closely tied to ecosystem health and include bee-keeping and bee related products, Aloe vera, grass seed and fodder production, and African leafy vegetables. The meetings—one in Lower Naibunga Community Conservancy (Laikipia county) and the other in Nannapa Community Conservancy in Oldonyiro (Isiolo county)—concluded with agreement on a pilot site at each location, and to begin the process of defining the specific contributions from all the stakeholders and outcomes for participating women’s groups. These resolutions demonstrate the communities’ commitment to, and support of, women championing activities related to people-nature co-existence.    Separately, and in collaboration with community-based group Green Earth Warriors (GEWs), sensitization meetings were held in relation to the over 30,000 semi-circular bunds currently regreening the Naibunga Community Conservancy. Topics covered included implementation, governance, and sustainability of the bunds. As for how residents and community groups can participate in bund-related monitoring and management, an overview of the function of soil sensors that were installed at selected bunds was shared. The sensors monitor temperature and levels of moisture in the soil, and this data is transmitted in real time to expert data analysts through the explorer.land platform, after which synthesized results will be shared with the communities. This cycle of knowledge generation and sharing further strengthens co-design of solutions. By the end of the sessions, community participants requested updates on results every four months.   On an even happier note, our journey to 100,000 bunds dug and seeded by the end of 2025 is well on its way! The residents and several women’s groups in Naibunga Community Conservancy, mobilized by the GEWs, are hard at work to realize 55,000 semi-circular bunds dug by end of December 2024, while groups in Oldonyiro have a target of 40,000 bunds dug and seeded within the same period. We are so proud of this progress and commitment to healthier landscapes, and can’t wait to see what 2025 brings.  

Monitoring restored landscape

Project Update October 17, 2024

[NANYUKI, Kenya] It is said that variety is the spice of life, and this couldn't be more true than in nature – with its abundance of flora and fauna, and intricate networks of intra- and inter-dependencies to support various life forms. As often happens in our own lives, the “spice” requires periodic evaluation; are things working as they should (health), or is some tweaking necessary (change)? Similarly, biodiversity assessment is used to evaluate and determine the status of life in a defined area that may contain one or more types of ecosystems or habitats.  The semi-arid landscape of Laikipia, Kenya, looks vastly different in dry versus wet seasons, prompting comparative assessment to establish conservation and restoration needs. For this reason, the Wyss Academy for Nature commissioned dry and wet season (July/August, 2023, and April, 2024, respectively) biodiversity and socioecological assessments of local livelihoods in Naibunga Community Conservancy, conducted in collaboration with expert teams from the University of Nairobi, the National Museums of Kenya, Technical University of Kenya, and the Directorate of Resource Surveys and Remote Sensing.  This biodiversity assessment was the first of its kind in the Naibunga Community Conservancy and examined a wide range of taxonomic groups including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and plants in a restored landscape. Their presence, or absence, is used as indicators of ecosystem health.  Findings from the assessments have been consolidated in a recent report, that will be an important source of information for monitoring the impact of semi-circular bunds as landscape restoration mechanisms and for development of income generating activities. Further, the comparative season-focused data is a positive contribution for designing and identifying indicator species for long term future monitoring of changes in species composition. Concerning inclusivity in biodiversity conservation, Professor Margaret Owuor, an accomplished conservation ecologist and lead of the Integrative Biodiversity Conservation Science research team at the Wyss Academy for Nature, opines, 

Calibration and deployment of soil sensors in Naibunga and Kuku

Project Update October 1, 2024

Calibration and deployment of soil sensors in Naibunga and Kuku with our partners from the Green Earth Warriors and JustDiggit .By adding additional soil moisture and temperature sensors at our sites in southwest Kenya, we’re gathering more data to demonstrate the resilience of these landscapes. Each new insight into water infiltration brings us closer to a greener, restored planet for everyone.

Participatory workshop for interdisciplinary research on water scarcity and climate change in the Ewaso Ng’iro North River Basin

Project Update June 12, 2023

 Water in the basin is scarce due to recurrent droughts, over-abstraction of water for domestic and economic activities, climate change, and limited knowledge of surface water and groundwater. Water pollution through increased urbanization, agricultural and industrial activities is also an issue.A lack of long-term data on water resources in the basin makes it difficult to develop robust hydrological models. In addition, there is a lack of political will to develop and enforce legislation to manage water resources sustainably.The workshop addressed the pressing issues of water scarcity and climate change in the Ewaso Ng’iro North River Basin. Its specific objectives were to foster discussion on these challenges, identify solutions, take stock of current monitoring activities, pinpoint gaps in knowledge and data, and build a strong network of partners. It was organized by the Wyss Academy for Nature and the Centre for Training and Integrated Research in Arid and Semi-Arid Landscapes (ASAL) Development. The workshop was attended by 52 people from a wide range of organizations, including representatives of community conservancies, the Northern Rangelands Trust, the Isiolo County Executive Committee Environment, the National Environment Management Authority of Laikipia County, the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action from the surrounding counties (Baringo, Isiolo, Laikipia, Marsabit, Samburu), researchers from Kenyan universities, and conservation NGOs.