Even as the rains fall on the thirsty landscapes of Kenya's parks and pastoral lands, bringing new green grass and sweet water like the ultimate Christmas gifts, we must not lose sight of the lessons learned from this most devastating of East African droughts or of the work to be done in the near future if we are to ensure that the wildlife, landsapes, and cultures of this global treasure persist for coming generations.

Years of research and diligent conservation work by East Africans such as Dr. David Western and the staff at African Conservation Centre have brought to light the root causes of the tragedy behind the devastating drought: it is not the lack of rain that has caused the extent of the tragedy, but a deadly combination of land-use and cultural changes that, if not stemmed, will lead to the end of East Africa's landscape and cultures that we know today.

These include the steady loss of pastoral lands to agriculture and other uses; rapidly rising human population; fear of land loss and in many areas settlement on plots too small for each family. Ultimately the problem comes down to far too few livestock to support pastoral families--yet far too many for the land--and few options for them to join Kenya's mainstream economy. There simply isn't the land or the drought refuges left to support a migratory subsistence lifestyle. And  the health of the landscape - and wildlife - is inextricably tied to the success of pastoralism, which is as much a part of the circle of life in East Africa as the great wildife migrations.

But there is hope, and there are solutions - underway even now through the work of African Conservation Centre, whose mission is to conserve wildlife and the natural environment in East Africa through collaborative application of scientific and indigenous knowledge, enhanced livelihoods, and development of local institutions.

To read how, please visit the new African Conservation Centre website at http://www.conservationafrica.org

To help with these critical efforts, please make your tax-deductible 2009 contributions to African Conservation Centre's US partner, African Conservation Fund - click here now.

Thank you and happy holidays and hope to all,

~ Roseann Hanson, executive director, African Conservation Fund / ACC-US

~ Dr. William Yancey, chairman, African Conservation Fund / ACC-US