Rebecca has been working at FFI since September 2007. Though she studied conservation in her BA and MSc, she decided that the life in the jungle just wasn't for her. Having grown up in New York City, she has experienced more pigeons and squirrels than parrots and spider monkeys. So she decided to write about the impact that FFI's projects have on the ground.
Her current role as Communications Officer (Business & Biodiversity) has allowed her to focus her energy towards FFI's innovative Business & Biodiversity Programme. Rebecca helps to get the message out about FFI's strategic corporate partnerships and what they have helped to achieve for global biodiversity.
Local communities and wildlife all across Northern Kenya are suffering from what is considered to be the worst drought in 25 years.
FFI currently works in the area through our support to Ol Pejeta Conservancy and the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT). NRT supports and co-ordinates 17 conservancies across northern Kenya, all of which have been affected by the drought.
We have heard that the wildlife in Ol Pejeta is coping thanks to supplementary food from reserve rangers. However, there have been high drought-related mortalities of buffalo and young elephant across the community conservancies of the north.
The drought is also affecting the behaviour of wildlife in the area. For example, elephants at Ol Pejeta are increasingly moving to nearby farms to forage for food. Rangers are conducting constant night patrols to protect local communities. It has also resulted in increased human/wildlife conflict over scarce water resources.
Matt Rice, NRT Chief Operations Officer, said: “The toll on local people, their livestock and wildlife is immense. Thankfully the conservancies through their operations, infrastructure and revenues have been able to mitigate the full impact of the drought to some degree. Nevertheless, everyone is praying for the October rains!”
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