The De Brazza monkey is endangered in Kenya due to rapid habitat loss, but much of its ecology and conservation status remains unknown due to its cryptic nature and the few number of studies carried out locally.

Western Kenya was the hitherto known eastern most range of the species on the continent until the discovery of a new population in the Mathews Range. This discovery on the eastern region of the Great Rift Valley came as big a surprise to many primatologists.   

Introduction

The three forests of Samburu - Leroghi, Mathews range and Ndoto - are some of the least studied forests in Kenya. The few biodiversity surveys that have been done on the flora and fauna of the area have shown that they are rich in biodiversity, high in endemism and have relatively stable populations of Endangered fauna like Grevy zebra, Wild dog, elephant, Cheetah, and Mt Uarges guereza. New reports of Sykes and Patas monkeys in Leroghi point to the importance of this are for primate conservation . Baseline information will be collected to guide in situ conservation activities.

Overall aim of the project

The project aims to protect the forest habitats of Samburu and its primates, not only by introducing community-led conservation and strengthening forest reserve management, but also through building the capacity of relevant stakeholders to manage the local ecosystems. It will improve the conservation status of the newly discovered De Brazza, Sykes and Patas monkeys and the endangered (IUCN) Mt Uarges guereza in Samburu and generate public support for primate conservation in the region.

To achieve this goal, the project has three major components:

1. Research – initials field surveys to provide information on the species distribution and conservation status, assess habitat quality, threats and opportunities in the Samburu forests. This information is also required for long-term species monitoring and provide a benchmark for future studies.
2. Education – The findings of the research need to be disseminated and explained to create awareness among all the stakeholders both locally and at the national level so that these species can get formal protection to save them from local extinction. The endangered Mt Uarges guereza has been already been poached to extinction Mt Nyiro, northern Samburu.
3. Conservation – The project will develop interventions aimed at improving community based natural resource management for priority areas in the three forests. This will entail an appraisal of indigenous resource management and conservation strategies using participatory tools and methodology. The results will contribute to improved forest use planning and the development of local forest protection regulations. Sustainable sources of livelihoods like Eco-tourism will be promoted as one of the sustainable alternative livelihood options in the area whose potential has not been fully explored. Moreover, indigenous knowledge will be incorporated into the activities of the management, monitoring and education components.
At this stage, the focus is on the first component research which has to precede the last two. More progress has been made this year with ongoing surveys in Mt Nyiro and Leroghi forest Reserves yielding new discoveries – the first ever record of Sykes monkey sighting north of Mt Kenya and the first Patas sighting in the district. The research component already facilitates the education and conservation components on a smaller scale which will ultimately lead to the protection of primates and their habitats in Samburu.

For more information about this project, please contact:
Iregi Mwenja (Associate Research scientist)
Institute of Primate Research of the National Museums of Kenya
Email: iregim [at] yahoo.com