The African Conservation Fund

We are pleased to announce an exciting new education opportunity in Kenya in 2008 - field courses with Earth Expeditions, a collaboration of Miami University Project Dragonfly and Cincinnati Zoo.

In 2006, African Conservation Fund began talks with Earth Expeditions, based at Miami University in Ohio, about starting a new course offering in the South Rift program areas.

Earth Expeditions is a global conservation program offering university courses in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Through Field and Zoo Expedition courses, their mission is to build an alliance of individuals with firsthand knowledge of inquiry-driven, community-based learning for the benefit of ecological communities, student achievement, and global understanding.

Maasai Preservation Trust, which operates in the Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystems, supports numerous conservation activities, including the Amboseli-Tsavo Game Scouts Association. Richard Bonham, of Ol Donyo Wuas Lodge, a longtime safari operator in Kenya and Tanzania, is the chairman.

The Trust has just adopted the wildlife clubs project started by Rosemary Groom, a researcher and Partner in Conservation for ACF. Rosemary has finished her Ph.D. field work and is completing her dissertation. The new project manager is James Solitei. We received the following report from James:

"I have started a new environmental club at the P.C.E.A girls high school. The group has started an intensive environmental conservation classes, like other schools at Imbirikani group ranch. This will give both the students and the community education on conservation in general. I have attached a picture from the school of the patron (Paul) and the 27 group members."

To contribute to the program, please visit this link. 

Fifty hours and 46 minutes total driving time over a seven-day period, covering 1,362.8 miles of dirt and semi-paved roads, with an average speed of 26.8 mph—all in the service of conservation in Kenya's Great Rift Valley this past June and July. The trip's mission was successful, logging enough waypoints and tracks to cover nearly 60% of a future overland route from the Maasai Mara to Amboseli National Reserves, plus one future route into the heart of the Laikipia Plateau. The African Conservation Fund team joined members of the South Rift Association of Land Owners, an all-Maasai  land trust, to assist them in pioneering this new route, which will benefit impoverished pastoral communities. ACF's first official self-drive Overland Adventure Safari, traversing much of the route (the team won't be able to cross the Uaso Ngiro River at the Rift Valley Escarpment until a bridge is built), is planned for February-March 2008.

African Conservation Fund is pleased to announce we have set departure dates for several exclusive conservation safaris in East Africa for 2008  . . . join us on an Adventure Conservation Safari (drive a safari-equipped Toyota from Maasai Mara to Amboseli), a Discovery Conservation Safari (educational journeys hosted by renowned ecologists and community partners), or a special Custom Conservation safari.

You can become an active partner in our innovative, exciting conservation programs - and get an up-close and personal look at the wildlife and people that make Africa such an exciting place to visit.

Don't miss out - we have limited space for these unique conservation safaris.  Read more . . .

The adventure continues! The 2007-2008 Adventure Raffle -  featuring the grand prize Adventure Trailer and Eezi-Awn Tent - is going strong, thanks to supporters like you.

As promised, we've begun our special monthly drawings for prizes. 

The winner of September's monthly raffle prize is Christopher Strawn of Tucson, Arizona - Chris has won a Hi-Lift Jack Off-Road Base ($35 value) from Expedition Exchange of Torrance, California. Many thanks to EE and to Chris for their support of our fundraising efforts. 

More news . . . 

Utah 4-Wheel Drive Club has also come on board as a sponsor, joining Adventure Trailers (Upland, California), Equipt Expedition Outfitters (Salt Lake City, Utah), and Overland Journal. Welcome aboard to this great advocacy organization. 

The grand prize, to be drawn in March 08, is a new Chaser Trailer topped off with an Eezi-Awn folding rooftop tent - the ultimate setup for your family's own adventure safaris right here at home.

This exciting raffle is worth over $8,000 . . .

Don't miss out! Click here to order more tickets today - win more stuff during our monthly drawings, and help us raise money, too. 

African Conservation Fund is pleased to announce we have set departure dates for several exclusive conservation safaris in East Africa for 2008  . . . join us on an Adventure Conservation Safari (drive a safari-equipped Toyota from Maasai Mara to Amboseli), a Discovery Conservation Safari (educational journeys hosted by renowned ecologists and community partners), or a special Custom Conservation safari.

You can become an active partner in our innovative, exciting conservation programs - and get an up-close and personal look at the wildlife and people that make Africa such an exciting place to visit.

Don't miss out - we have limited space for these unique conservation safaris.  Read more...

In July, the South Rift Association of Land owners, a land trust and conservation organization comprising Maasai land owners in Kenya's southern Rift Valley, announced plans to create and promote a new South Rift Tourist Circuit (click on image at left to enlarge the map).

Linking existing tracks and some new tracks (and a future bridge across a river at the base of the Rift escarpment), the new route will connect tourism facilities in Maasai Mara National Reserve to Amboseli National Park. Stretching across the heart of Maasailand - where some 70% of the region's famous wildlife occur - the route will bring much-needed tourism dollars to impoverished Maasai communities who see little or no benefit from the famous wildlife. John Kamanga, director of the association, said that ecotourism developments will be limited and exclusive, to protect both the wildlife and communities of the South Rift.

African Conservation Fund's new Adventure Conservation Safaris (see above) will be among the first to explore along parts of the new South Rift Circuit. We are also seeking corporate partners to assist the development of the circuit. Please contact us to join this unprecedented effort (520.591.1410)

African Conservation Fund is pleased to announce we have set departure dates for several exclusive conservation safaris in East Africa for 2008  . . . join us on an Adventure Conservation Safari (drive a safari-equipped Toyota from Maasai Mara to Amboseli), a Discovery Conservation Safari (educational journeys hosted by renowned ecologists and community partners), or a special Custom Conservation Safari.

You can become an active partner in our innovative, exciting conservation programs - and get an up-close and personal look at the wildlife and people that make Africa such an exciting place to visit.

Don't miss out - we have limited space for these unique conservation safaris.

Read more . . .

In July, the South Rift Association of Land owners, a land trust and conservation organization comprising Maasai land owners in Kenya's southern Rift Valley, announced plans to create and promote a new South Rift Tourist Circuit (click on image at left to enlarge the map).

Linking existing tracks and some new tracks (and a future bridge across a river at the base of the Rift escarpment), the new route will connect tourism facilities in Maasai Mara National Reserve to Amboseli National Park. Stretching across the heart of Maasailand - where some 70% of the region's famous wildlife occur - the route will bring much-needed tourism dollars to impoverished Maasai communities who see little or no benefit from the famous wildlife. John Kamanga, director of the association, said that ecotourism developments will be limited and exclusive, to protect both the wildlife and communities of the South Rift.

African Conservation Fund's new Adventure Conservation Safaris (see above) will be among the first to explore along parts of the new South Rift Circuit. We are also seeking corporate partners to assist the development of the circuit. Please contact us to join this unprecedented effort (520.591.1410).

In May, African Conservation Fund became a partner in the BoGo light charity program (BoGo stands for "Buy One, Give One").

We've been overwhelmed at the response of our supporters, especially from America's four-wheel-drive community. Nearly 500 lights have been donated and will be distributed to needy communities in East Africa.

In July, we delivered the first round of solar lights to Maasai communities in northern Tanzania, near Tarangire National Park, and on the Laikipia Plateau, near Dol Dol.

In the coming month we'll be drop-shipping lights to Kenya and distributing through our partners. Many thanks to all who supported this effort!

America's finest builder of rugged camping trailers for off-highway use, Adventure Trailers (Upland, California) has donated a new Chaser Trailer, and Equipt Expedition Outfitters (Salt Lake City, Utah) has topped it off with an Eezi-Awn folding rooftop tent - the ultimate setup for your family's own adventure safaris right here at home.

Click here for details on this exciting raffle, worth $8,000!

Don't miss your chance . . . tickets still available, and monthly prizes are also starting soon.
 

Sandstorm Kenya, makers of fine canvas bags, field gear, and seat covers, has teamed up with the new U.S.-based magazine, Overland Journal, to support conservation in East Africa. Sandstorm will donate to us 10% of the retail price of items sold through the magazine. Sandstorm is dedicated to supporting Kenya conservation, and has been a supporter of efforts such as Lewa Conservancy for years. We're thrilled to be a new Sandstorm partner. 

Through eBay's Giving Works Program, we have a new supporter as well. Purchase this beautiful painting of a lioness and her cub, and a portion of the sale is donated to African Conservation Fund.

Click on the photo to see more.

Don't forget about our eBay store: art-for-conservation. Shop now! 

Giveline.com is an online store created for the community-minded shopper, offering more than a million bestselling products including books, movies, music, electronics, housewares, gifts and more. Every purchase generates a substantial donation to African Conservation Fund – an amazing average of 16% of store sales, sometimes as high as 33%. Giveline has great products, great service, and great prices – the only difference between Giveline and other major online retailers is that every purchase earns money for our organization. Check it out today, and if you decide to buy, remember that African Conservation Fund will earn significant funds in support of our mission.
Click here to shop for African Conservation Fund

Last week the United National Development Programme announced that Shompole Community Trust has won one of its prestigious Equator Awards for 2006.

The Equator Prize is the flagship of the Equator Initiative, a partnership that brings together the United Nations, civil society, business, governments and communities to help build the capacity and raise the profile of grassroots efforts to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Community secretary Yusuf ole Patenya (shown at left addressing the Shompole Community Trust) and representative Joseph ole Munge are enroute to Berlin for the awards ceremony.

Last June, we reported on the efforts of one of our Partners in Conservation to establish Environment and Wildlife Clubs at several Maasai schools in the Chyulu Hills. Ecologist Rosemary Groom sends a new report:

"I have attached a couple of pictures of some of the other projects I have been busy with. We have expanded the wildlife scout program into a second primary school (Isinet Primary School), and around the same time we started a rubbish disposal system in two main towns. Obviously we got the scouts involved!"

Great job, Rosemary. Your efforts above and beyond your research are an inspiration and we hope all our Partners in Conservation are working as hard as you. We would like to commend Columbus Zoo as well, for funding the youth conservation club expansion effort.

What could be better - buy yourself a tough, useful solar task light and the company donates one to needy people? Better yet, buy several!

African Conservation Fund signed up as a distribution partner. For each light you buy for yourself and friends, we get an identical one (or however many you buy) plus $1 cash for each light - if you choose African Conservation Fund in the dropdown menu.

A new Amazon.com-type online superstore has launched, but this time with a twist: all purchases support the charity of your choice through direct donations taken out of your purchase amount. African Conservation Fund has signed up as a charity on their rolls.

Giveline.com is an online store created for the community-minded shopper, offering more than a million bestselling products including books, movies, music, electronics, housewares, gifts and more. Every purchase generates a substantial donation to African Conservation Fund – an amazing average of 16% of store sales, sometimes as high as 33%. Giveline has great products, great service, and great prices – the only difference between Giveline and other major online retailers is that every purchase earns money for our organization. Check it out today, and if you decide to buy, remember that African Conservation Fund will earn significant funds in support of our mission!

Click here to shop for African Conservation Fund.

Show your support for community-based conservation in East Africa with one of our unique and eye-catching beaded logo hats. Members of the Enkongu Engare Women's Group at Isinya (north of Amboseli National Park) are decorating our embroidered logo hats with bright Maasai beads, both front and rear. Choose Maasai red or Amboseli tan - no two hats are exactly alike, so yours will always be unique. We've also added some stylish beaded leather cuff bracelets. Click here to shop now.

Yusuf Ole Petenya, left, secretary of the Shompole Community Trust, a Maasai  foundation in Kenya's southern Rift Valley, was featured this week in an international news story by Associated Press writer Chris Tomlinson.

"A million tourists a year spend more than $580 million to see and photograph lions, elephants, gazelle and other wildlife on this East African country's savannas," Tomlinson wrote. "But the revenue is not enough to protect the animals.

"Only 8 percent of land in Kenya, a country twice the size of Nevada, is set aside for wildlife. The rest is privately or communally owned and studies show that most of Kenya's wild animals live there." The studies cited by Tomlinson are primarily done by our partner, the African Conservation Centre, which has been a strong supporter of the Shompole Community Trust since its inception.

Is there room for both wildlife and people in East Africa? Hear an online interview of Dr. David Western on this important and difficult topic. Dr. Western was interviewed by Thane Maynard, director of Cincinnati Zoo's public information.

Click here to hear the interview played online.

Show your support for community-based conservation in East Africa with one of our unique and eye-catching beaded logo hats. Members of the Enkongu Engare Women's Group at Isinya (north of Amboseli National Park) are decorating our embroidered logo hats with bright Maasai beads, both front and rear. Choose Maasai red or Amboseli tan - no two hats are exactly alike, so yours will always be unique. We've also added some stylish beaded leather cuff bracelets. Click here to shop now.

New! Show your support for community-based conservation in East Africa with one of our unique and eye-catching beaded logo hats. Members of the Enkongu Engare Women's Group at Isinya (north of Nairobi National Park) are decorating our embroidered logo hats with bright Maasai beads, both front and rear. Choose Maasai red or Amboseli tan - no two hats are exactly alike, so yours will always be unique. We've also added some stylish beaded leather cuff bracelets. Click here to shop now.

African Conservation Centre ecologist Ken Mwathe reports from Kenay on a workshop that took place at Kenya Wildlife Service Safari Walk on 7th and 8th February 2007: The Cheetah & Wild Dog National Conservation Strategy Workshop was attended by about 50 participants from Kenya and also from the eastern African region, notably Uganda, Ethopia, Sudan, Tanzania (and from Botswana and Zimbabwe).
 
The first day focused on expert presentations on the two species with regard to their status, ecology, distribution, and conservation tools. The participants also got a chance to discuss the regional strategy which had already been developed, in order to better inform Kenya’s national strategy development process.

A team of scientists from African Conservation Centre, Save the Elephants, and Kenya Wildlife Service placed a GPS collar on a young elephant nicknamed Lorna on 4th of July 2006 (link to original news item) at Congo woodland near Oloibortoto in Kenya's southern Rift Valley. Yesterday African Conservation Fund received an update on Lorna and her herd from African Conservation Centre ecologist Ken Mwathe - much has been learned in the last eight months, including new information about conservation needs.

Thursday, March 8 is International Women's Day, in celebration of women around the world achieving their full potential.

African Conservation Fund would like to take this opportunity to highlight our efforts to empower women in Maasailand through our Sanaa Africa: Art for Conservation Program. Women in Africa are in charge of a wide array of economic and social programs in their own communities - gathering and preparing food, finding water, building and maintaining homes, caring for children, and now, with the emergence and need for cash economies, developing enterprises to raise funds for school, food, and health care. Click here to learn more >

One of the most effective tools in the fight to protect wildlife in Kenya has been the local Game Scouts programs. These highly effective Maasai scouts have had a tremendous impact on stopping poachers, woodcutters, and charcoal dealers—100 scouts work diligently to protect over 1.2 million acres of Maasai conservation areas around Amboseli & Tsavo National Parks.

Working with Kenya Wildlife Service and local village leaders, the Amboseli-Tsavo Game Scouts Association has apprehended 172 wildlife poachers, confiscated 9 vehicles, destroyed 863 snares, and stopped 73 charcoal dealers.

This vital work is funded in large part through fees from tourist operations, but recent flooding and a slower tourist season has produced a funding shortfall.

We are working to raise $5,000 (US dollars) in the next month to assist the game scouts with their work.

Your donation of $50, $100, $250, $500 or more is tax-deductible in the US and will mean these brave men will be able to continue to protect wildlife and ensure a future for sustainable community-based tourism. Any contributions are welcome and much needed. Click on the button below to go to our donations page - it's easy and quick.

Thanks to the generous charity program at eBay (the online auction site) called GivingWorks, we launched our online store last week for Sanaa Africa: Art for Conservation, to sell beadwork and other crafts made by Maasai women's groups in East Africa. We have beaded belts, dog collars, earrings, and table accessories all for sale now for immediate purchase, 100% benefiting our programs.

The beauty of eBay is that it opens up our fundraising and spreads our conservation message to over a million registered users. And it's working - within a week we have reached new buyers, and we just were "adopted" by the online seller von Walhof Creations, who is donating to us a portion of the sale of some very clever Swarovski pins - the whimsical giraffe at left would make a perfect Valentine's Day surprise for your safari-loving sweetheart. To see listings that benefit African Conservation Fund, go to our Sanaa Africa page and scroll through the pages there. Thank you!

One of the most effective tools in the fight to protect wildlife in Kenya has been the local Game Scouts programs. These highly effective Maasai scouts have had a tremendous impact on stopping poachers, woodcutters, and charcoal—100 scouts work diligently to protect over 1.2 million acres of Maasai conservation areas around Amboseli National Park.

Working with Kenya Wildlife Service and local village leaders, the Amboseli-Tsavo Game Scouts Association has apprehended 172 wildlife poachers, confiscated 9 vehicles, destroyed 863 snares, and stopped 73 charcoal dealers.

This vital work is funded in large part through fees from tourist operations, but recent flooding and a slower tourist season has produced a funding shortfall.

We are working to raise $5,000 (US dollars) in the next month to assist the game scouts with their work.

Your donation of $50, $100, $250, $500 or more is tax-deductible in the US and will mean these brave men will be able to continue to protect wildlife and ensure a future for sustainable community-based tourism. Any contributions are welcome and much needed.

Wildlife-based eco-tourism brings in some $400 million as foreign exchange to Kenya - 30% of the country’s total. But these wild assets are threatened - from land subdivision, farming, and poaching. Despite these threats, the economic value of this "natural capital" has not been quantified clearly enough in areas where it can do the most good - in communities that are making decisions about land use. Our programs are aimed at improving local understanding of the value of wildlife - now, and for future generations. Photo: Destination Africa Safaris
 

Despite a rapidly changing world, the proud Maasai people of the African Rift Valley and savannahs are holding strong to traditions, including their dances and songs. There is nothing as stirring as the sounds of a Maasai warrior song or a women's praise song. If you would like to hear clips of Maasai songs - and order a terrific CD full of Maasai music and praise songs - be sure to visit www.laleyio.com, a project of American Hans Johnson and Kenyan Maasai Simon ole Tumanka. The CD also captures the infectiously happy spirit of Maasai youth practicing their songs - and laughing uproariously.

Our first year operating in full (since our formation in 2003) was a tremendous success, and we'd like to share with you some of our accommplishments as well as thank those of you who contributed time, funds, and expertise to the effort.

Because of you, our community of supporters, we know that each year we will continue to grow and succeed in our mission to assist our partners with creating sustainable, effective conservation in the most magical place on earth - East Africa. Thank you!

To download a 1 megabyte PDF file of our 2006 annual report click here.  (Note: this PDF is prepared for screen viewing only - it will not print well; if you prefer to print a copy and can handle large files, please download this file, which is 7 mb)
 

Need to make room in the garage for your car this winter? Tired of all that junk in the spare bedroom? Sell it on eBay through the eBay Giving Works program and you can donate all or part of the proceeds to African Conservation Fund. It's an easy and fun way to help us raise funds for wildlife conservation and community programs in east Africa - and it's tax-deductible.

Make giving extra-easy this year - donate to African Conservation Fund in the names of your loved ones. What better way to say you care than to invest in the future of East Africa's wildlife and cultures?  It's fast and easy online - make a single donation or set up a subscription to give every month automatically. Click here to go to our donations page; select Donate and indicate "gift" in the Notes section - include the addresses of you and your friends, and we'll mail the cards. Or, download the PDF card, print, and mail yourself!

African Conservation Fund's primary vision can be summed up as "Investing in People to Win Back the Space for Wildlife." No program embodies this more than our new "Art for Conservation" program, called Sanaa Africa, or Beautiful Africa.

This past September we met with eight women's groups in Maasai communities in Kenya and Tanzania's Rift Valley (related reports, here and here). These meetings culminated in a plan to assist these ladies' groups and their communities by purchasing their beadwork to market in the West, as well as to assist them in building their businesses, products, and marketability.

Need to make room in the garage for your car this winter? Tired of all that junk in the spare bedroom? Sell it on eBay through the eBay Giving Works program and you can donate all or part of the proceeds to African Conservation Fund. It's an easy and fun way to help us raise funds for wildlife conservation and community programs in east Africa - and it's tax-deductible.

Despite a rapidly changing world, the proud Maasai people of the African Rift Valley and savannahs are holding strong to traditions, including their dances and songs. There is nothing as stirring as the sounds of a Maasai warrior song or a women's praise song. If you would like to hear clips of Maasai songs - and order a terrific CD full of Maasai music and praise songs - be sure to visit www.laleyio.com, a project of American Hans Johnson and Kenyan Maasai Simon ole Tumanka. The CD also captures the infectiously happy spirit of Maasai youth practicing their songs - and laughing uproariously.

Make giving extra-easy this year - donate to African Conservation Fund in the names of your loved ones. What better way to say you care than to invest in the future of East Africa's wildlife and cultures?  It's fast and easy online - make a single donation or set up a subscription to give every month automatically. Click here to go to our donations page; select Donate and indicate "gift" in the Notes section - include the addresses of you and your friends, and we'll mail the cards. Or, download the PDF card, print, and mail yourself!

African Conservation Fund's primary vision can be summed up as "Investing in People to Win Back the Space for Wildlife." No program embodies this more than our new "Art for Conservation" program, called Sanaa Africa, or Beautiful Africa.

This past September we met with eight women's groups in Maasai communities in Kenya and Tanzania's Rift Valley (related reports, here and here). These meetings culminated in a plan to assist these ladies' groups and their communities by purchasing their beadwork to market in the West, as well as to assist them in building their businesses, products, and marketability.

Need to make room in the garage for your car this winter? Tired of all that junk in the spare bedroom? Sell it on eBay through the eBay Giving Works program and you can donate all or part of the proceeds to African Conservation Fund. It's an easy and fun way to help us raise funds for wildlife conservation and community programs in east Africa - and it's tax-deductible.

Despite a rapidly changing world, the proud Maasai people of the African Rift Valley and savannahs are holding strong to traditions, including their dances and songs. There is nothing as stirring as the sounds of a Maasai warrior song or a women's praise song. If you would like to hear clips of Maasai songs - and order a terrific CD full of Maasai music and praise songs - be sure to visit www.laleyio.com, a project of American Hans Johnson and Kenyan Maasai Simon ole Tumanka. The CD also captures the infectiously happy spirit of Maasai youth practicing their songs - and laughing uproariously.

Blue Raven Gallery & Gifts in Tucson, Arizona, presents its new fall event, "Africa: Wildlife and Culture," a show of photography and paintings. The opening reception, on Saturday, October 14, is a benefit for the African Conservation Fund that will include a slide presentation and silent auction of Maasai beadwork and other African crafts. Opening reception will be from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, with music and refreshments. The show runs from October 14 through November 11, 2006. Blue Raven Gallery & Gifts is located in the Many Hands Courtyard, 3054 N. 1st Avenue, Suite 4, Tucson Az. 85719 (click HERE for a map and directions). Hours: Fridays 1 - 5 pm and Saturdays 10 am. - 5 pm. Appointments welcome any time. (520) 623-1003/405-3657.

African Conservation Fund director Roseann Hanson spent most of August and September travelling the UK, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Kenya, meeting with supporters and the staff of our partner organization, the African Conservation Centre, in Nairobi.

I've been asked several times, "What was the best experience of the trip?" And not surprisingly - given the length and breadth of the trip, not to mention the dozen or so communities and hundreds of people visited - I find it nearly impossible to narrow it down. I'll share highlights perhaps, all equally wonderful: The warm, fun, and incredibly dedicated staff at African Conservation Centre, who made me feel welcome and part of the team  . . . The roar of lions passing one night at Tarangire Whistling Thorn Camp, a new Partner in Conservation in northern Tanzania . . .

Need to make room in the garage for your car this winter? Tired of all that junk in the spare bedroom? Sell it on eBay through the eBay Giving Works program and you can donate all or part of the proceeds to African Conservation Fund. It's an easy and fun way to help us raise funds for wildlife conservation and community programs in east Africa - and it's tax-deductible.

Report from the Field: African Conservation Fund executive director, Roseann Hanson, is currently en route to eastern Africa and will be sending periodic reports on her trip.

 "One of the things I'm most excited about on this trip is visits to six women's cooperative groups in Tanzania and Kenya. Despite having extensive community responsibilities including looking after children and the young calves, gathering food and cooking it, building and repairing their enkangs (mud homes), and fetching firewood and water, many women also are joining together to form cooperatives to make and sell art to the world market.

African Conservation Fund director Roseann Hanson is in Ethiopia now, working with new partners on plans for a conservation workshop in the southern Rift Valley in March, 2007.

"Friends and family have admitted to me that when I said I was en route to Ethiopia, all they knew of this country was from media images of drought, flood, famine and sad children's faces amid landscapes of extreme desolation. But Ethiopia comprises one of the world's most diverse assemblage of cultures, landscapes, and wildlife - enhanced by an equally rich and ancient history.

OLKIRAMATIAN, SOUTH RIFT VALLEY, KENYA - On June 7 we reported on an important new integrated carnivore research project getting underway in Kenya's South Rift Valley. We just received the first Report from the Field from researcher Paul Schuette of San Diego State University - Paul spent the last three weeks getting his preliminary research underway. Paul writes from Kenya: ". . . to conserve both large and small carnivores and to better conserve the entire ecosystem, we must understand how species interact with each other, and more importantly, how they behave in a human-dominated landscape. These ideas formed the basis of my research trip to the southern Rift Valley in Kenya . . ."

OLKIRAMATIAN, SOUTH RIFT VALLEY, KENYA - On June 7 we reported on an important new integrated carnivore research project getting underway in Kenya's South Rift Valley. We just received the first Report from the Field from researcher Paul Schuette of San Diego State University - Paul spent the last three weeks getting his preliminary research underway. Paul writes from Kenya: ". . . to conserve both large and small carnivores and to better conserve the entire ecosystem, we must understand how species interact with each other, and more importantly, how they behave in a human-dominated landscape. These ideas formed the basis of my research trip to the southern Rift Valley in Kenya . . ."

Earlier this summer, the African Conservation Centre with funding from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service successfully fitted a special GPS-equipped collar on a female elephant in the Magadi region of Kenya's South Rift Valley. The aim of the project, which eventually will have four elephants fitted with GPS units that send their locations via satellite to remote receiving units, is to study the  elephants' movements, daily habits, and hopefully gain information that will allow conservationists to mitigate the effects of their presence in the South Rift region where they are re-establishing their former range after a 20 year absence. To read the full report from African Conservation Centre science director Dr. Ken Mwathe, click here . . .

More from the field: Chyulu Hills, Kenya - Rosemary Groom sends another image from the Environment and Wildlife Club she founded at the primary school near her project in the Chyulu Hills, Kenya (see post below).  To read Rosemary's latest message from the African savannahs, click here...

This quote is taken from an article in the December 2005 Orion Magazine: "Conservation Refugees," by Mark Dowie. The article's premise underscores the urgency of the work of organizations like African Conservation Fund and the African Conservation Centre, who are working to increase the capacity of local people in creating their own conservation movements. Click here for more excerpts and a link to the online article.

 Conservation news update - June 28, 2006

Conservation news update - June 8, 2006

Conservation news update - May 20, 2006 

Conservation news update - May 6, 2006 

Conservation news update - Earth Day Week - April 2006 

eNewsletter - African Conservation Fund

March - April 2006 

Welcome to the electronic newsletter of the African Conservation Fund. We are working on naming the newsletter - if you have any suggestions, please write to us! We think the name should creatively express our mission, which is to work together with communities to create conservation projects that benefit both wildlife and people.

Although African Conservation Fund was founded in 2003, we've really been getting going in the last six months, and we wanted to share with you some of our news. 

Read below for information on some exciting upcoming events, ne