Title: "The Nakuru conservation and development project"

Project number: B7-5041/93.32/VIII/FOR

Amount: 1.386.000 ECU (CEC contributions).The programme is co-financed by the CEC, WWF with support from ODA NGO block grant scheme.

Contractor: WWF - UK

Field: conservation/ecological assessment/environmental planning/environmental education

Country: Kenya (Lake Nakuru National Park)

Date of signature: 24.02.94 (date of receipt by the Commission), date of limit of execution: 32/12/2000

Duration: 65 months (24/07/99)

Addendum n°1 of 09/02/94: changes:

• Art. 3 (the Agreement shall enter into force on July 1, 1994 instead of 31/12/93)
• Art.4 (Contributions, excluding contingencies, shall be paid by the Commission in 5 instalments, instead of four. The bank guarantee mentionned in Article 4.4 of the General Conditions is not applicable).
• Annex I- point 2.7 (read 2.6 instead of 2.7),
• Budget - C - All inclusive costs. The amount for Technical and Financial Monitoring and Evaluation should read 66.883 ECU instead of 187.408 ECU.
• Annex II - Budget - CEC contingencies. The amount should read 180.735 ECU instead of 66.228 ECU.

Objectives:

• to protect the forest, wetlands and lake system of the Nakuru ecosystem by identifying the main causes of destruction and pollution and designing systems to reduce their impact;
• to address the problem of human pressure on the National Park and to provide long term protection of it by helping the population around the park to develop sustainable land use practices;
• to reduce conflicts between the support zone inhabitants and the park authorities;
• to act as a scientific support team for many of the other organisation working in the project area including, Kenya wildlife service, local government authority and NGO's/PVO's.

Activities:

• Environmental education programme: to mobilise the population in the surrounding areas to initiate conservation oriented landuse and development programme and to develop a greater public awareness of the dangers to the Lake nakuru National Park from present practices in catchment. the programme will involve all school levels, local community leaders including women's groups and religious organisations, service clubs, industrialists and field officers of Government service and NGOs.
• Environmental conservation programme to provide technical and material support for environmental conservation actions within catchment. This will include making available appropriate tree seedlings, rehabilitation of eroded areas, reduction of top soil erosion and recommending ways of improving waste disposal from Nakuru Municipality.
• Ecological assessment programme, to gather, analyse and interpret information on the state of the environment in the area in order to formulate appropriate management policies. Monitoring programmes will be also established to detect any changes in the environment.
• Environmental planning programme, to integrate environmental considerations into the planning process for the area, and to strengthen the role of environmental protection bodies operating in the catchment area.

Results expected:

• a contribution to the conservation of Kenya's tropical forest, flora and fauna;
• reduction of human impact on the park and its support zone;
• change towards a more sustainable use of the land and other natural resources by the inhabitants of the support zone and an improvement of their standard of living;
• increased conservation awareness particularly on the effects of forest destruction and pollution on the lake and the support of zone inhabitants;
• land-use planning in the region re-oriented towards more sustainable development of resources;
• increased capacity of the official park administration to protect and manage the Nakuru National Park and its support zone.

More specifically the above should include:

• reforestation by the local community on their own and community lands;
• some water catchment areas protected;
• establishment of protective live fences with Mauritius thorns to protect farm lands from form the park animals.
• erosion control measures taken in the support zone;
• pollution control measures taken in Nakuru town and support zone;
• considerable reduction in pollution and siltation into Lake nakuru;
• adoption by the local people of land use alternatives promoted and developed by the environmental conservation/support zone programme;
• providing a scientific basis for incorporating environmental considerations into the conservation and development process;
• identification of the most suitable land-use alternatives promoted and developed beyond the projects life and area of operation;
• change in the local peoples attitude towards their environment in general;
• increased capacity of the official park administration, government departments and local NGOs/PVO's to protect and manage the National Park and its support zone.

Beneficiaries: indigenous peoples, Institutions, policy makers and research institutes.

Implementation strategy:

The present programme is carried out by WWF in full collaboration and endorsement of the Director of the Kenya Wildlife service. The project Manager is entrusted with and responsible for the implementation of the project.

Four distinct programmes will be undertaken in the project: environmental education, environmental conservation, ecological assessment and environmental planning.

Mid-term project evaluation report (March 1997).

Project performance: the catchment basin approach in environmental assessment, conservation, education and planning adopted by LNCDP is developing the essential framework within with the sustainable management on the Lake Nakuru ecosystem can be facilitated and ensured.

LNCDP is believed to have initiated this approach in Kenya, a pionneering effort that deserves recognition by all who are concerned about sound management of the country's natural environment. A functionning project organisation, a committed team of workers, and an extensive field network (central and local government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, interested individuals and many local communities at "grassroots" level) have been established.

Project impact on Lake Nakuru ecosystem: there is a little evidence to confirm that the project had any identifiable impact upon the environmental quality of the lake ecosystem.

Recommendations: the project needs organisational and future staffing changes and one optional structure has been identified. The rationale for the option presented is:

• the sometimes overlapping interface between the Environmental Educational Programme and the Environmental Conservation Programme as currently set up;
• the benefit of channelling extension work to rural and urban communities respectively, throught single outlets, to simplify coordinated management of community level activities, and to consolidate project staff community relationships;
• the need for more clearly identified specialist functions.

Four major institutional developments should be carefully examined before the many other issues either as four separate initiatives or in various combinations:

• joining, and providing the Secretariat for the KWS- proposed Lake Nakuru Catchment Management Committee;
• formation of one or more scientific & technical advisory group;
• establishment of a formal Board of Directors/Project Steering Committee;
• the creation of a permanent lake Nakuru Catchment Conservation Centre/Institute.