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.

We are pleased to report a full success of the first phase of the distribution of relief food and teacher salaries to the pre-schools in the Magadi area, covering Olkiramatian, Shompole, Olkeri and Oldonyionyokie group ranches, as well as the Namanga region.

The relief food will enable many school children to return to school. Many of whom would not have been able to do so without this assistance.

The people of the South Rift send their heartfelt thanks to all of you who donated so generously to send $15,000 to Kenya; a special thanks to the Cincinnati Zoo, the Cincinnati Zoological Society, Angel Fund and all the wonderful people who work hard to raise significant funds - Daniel Grigson's seventh grade environmental club at Lee Burneson Middle School in Westlake, Ohio (who raised an impressive $3,000);  Karen Glum's science class in Cincinnati; and Marissa Ahlering's efforts through Facebook.

The Amboseli Conservation Program, begun 42 years ago by Dr. David Western, has launched a new website this week in order to bring focus to the drought that has gripped Kenya this last year and has particularly devastated the landscapes, wildlife, and people of the Amboseli region. Dr. Western has been studying the interactions of people and wildlife in this famous landscape, renowned for its biodiversity and its Maasai pastoralists. Outcomes from the four decades of study and groundbreaking conservation actions are detailed in the new website, which was made possible by African Conservation Fund, the US partner of African Conservation Centre, one of the organizations founded by Dr. Western. Read more . . .

One of the worst droughts in Kenya's recent history is killing thousands of wildlife and cattle and devastating pastoralists' livelihoods. In the far north, people are dying from starvation and from opportunistic cattle raiders from across the nation's borders.

African Conservation Centre has prepared a paper on the drought and its longterm effects on conservation issues, and what can be done to help.

THE 2009 DROUGHT: A CRISIS IN RANGELAND DEVELOPMENT

by David Western, African Conservation Centre

8th September 2009

(Nairobi ) Kenya's worst drought in living memory has been overshadowed by political and economic crises and the destruction of the Mau Forest. Now, with 10 million people short of food, the drought has captured national attention. Over half a million people have left their homes in Kenya's rangelands in search of forage. Over 100,000 people have fled Wajir for Ethiopia and Somalia. The Uaso Nyiro River, lifeline for the pastoralists of Samburu and Isiolo Districts, has dried. Thousands of herders have moved onto highland pastures. Over 38,000 cattle have died of starvation, disease and cold on Mt Kenya alone. A quarter of the children in the worst hit areas are malnourished and schooling throughout the pastoral areas has been disrupted. Scores of pastoralists have died in clashes over pasture and water. Several security personnel have been killed battling rustlers and bandits. Scores of elephants, giraffe and zebra have been poached in Shaba National Reserve and tourist lodges have been closed due to the insecurity.