Primate conservation in Kenya
| country: | Kenya |
| location: | Kenya beach |
| departures: | Please contact us for departure details |
| price: | From £875 (20 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Living and working in the forests bordering the white sands and crystal waters of the Indian ocean, this holiday is perfect for the beach-loving conservationist. Surveying the beautiful but threatened Colobus monkey, working with local communities to protect their natural habitat, and helping with the rescue and rehabilitation of injured monkeys, this is a fantastic opportunity to get involved at the 'sharp-end' of species conservation.
Who we're working with: Wakuluzu, Friends of the Colobus Trust, is a local conservation organisation working towards the protection of the rare Angolan colobus monkey (Colobus angolensis ssp palliatus) and its coastal forest habitat in southern Kenya. The Trust was established in response to an outcry from local residents about the unnaturally high number of deaths of the colobus in the Diani area. Now the Trust works in areas including animal welfare, primate/ecological research, community development and education, forest protection and enrichment and eco-tourism awareness programmes. Part of the conservation work includes the initiation of a ‘colobridge’ programme – the building of aerial ladders for primates to cross busy roads.
Ten Kenyan staff are employed by the Trust. We has worked with the Trust since 2003 and the strength in numbers of our group volunteer projects allows for intensive survey and tracking work to be achieved. Part of the holiday price contributes to ongoing project costs including salaries for local field assistants, education workshops for school children, forest enrichment and research including primate census work. The Colobus Trust is a local organisation. We will be working closely with the members of staff during our stay with the Trust and some of the projects will find us working directly with community members, particularly when in the sacred Kaya forests, and with school groups and local community representatives.
Where we're working: The holiday is based at the Colobus Trust's rescue centre at Diani Beach on Kenya's South, located on Kenya's coast, just south of Mombasa. People are attracted to the area by the white sandy beach, Indian Ocean, coral reef, forest, monkeys and other wildlife. Diani is the oldest beach resort in Kenya, and has been subject to rapid development over the last few decades, much of it unregulated. A great deal of forest has been lost, however the remaining patches still retain a rich biodiversity, including six primate species (vervets, sykes, colobus, baboons and two species of bushbaby).
Diani has all the facilities of a European beach resort, and is renowned for the water sports that it offers, including scuba-diving, kite surfing, fishing and much more. Diani attracts thousands of visitors every year, who generally come for a relaxing week by the beach after safaris. The area reportedly brings in 20-30% of Kenya's total foreign revenue per annum.
Habitat loss Primate “pests” Road traffic accidents of primates Electrocutions of primates Primates as pets and snaring of primates
The work will be varied and each activity will target one of the conflict areas. Activities are likely to include; practical conservation work in forested areas (invasive scrub clearance, hole digging in hard coral rock, tree planting, etc); feeding and care of primates under rehabilitation; maintenance work within the Trust property and grounds (painting signs and buildings, de-rusting cages, building work, etc); research work and data collection within the forest and hotel grounds; collection of illegally set animal snares from forest and bush areas; repair of aerial monkey bridges that allow primates to cross the road safely.
We'll be in close contact with monkeys in and around the accommodation as well as observing animal rescues and rehabilitation work and aim to provide everyone with a broad-based experience within primate conservation. A reasonable level of fitness is required and work can be strenuous at times. Being able to cope with the heat and humidity is a must. Working times are generally 8.30am – 4.30pm Mon – Fri with a generous lunch break, although some of the work will require earlier morning starts, and later returns back to base.
Who we're working with: Wakuluzu, Friends of the Colobus Trust, is a local conservation organisation working towards the protection of the rare Angolan colobus monkey (Colobus angolensis ssp palliatus) and its coastal forest habitat in southern Kenya. The Trust was established in response to an outcry from local residents about the unnaturally high number of deaths of the colobus in the Diani area. Now the Trust works in areas including animal welfare, primate/ecological research, community development and education, forest protection and enrichment and eco-tourism awareness programmes. Part of the conservation work includes the initiation of a ‘colobridge’ programme – the building of aerial ladders for primates to cross busy roads.
Ten Kenyan staff are employed by the Trust. We has worked with the Trust since 2003 and the strength in numbers of our group volunteer projects allows for intensive survey and tracking work to be achieved. Part of the holiday price contributes to ongoing project costs including salaries for local field assistants, education workshops for school children, forest enrichment and research including primate census work. The Colobus Trust is a local organisation. We will be working closely with the members of staff during our stay with the Trust and some of the projects will find us working directly with community members, particularly when in the sacred Kaya forests, and with school groups and local community representatives.
Where we're working: The holiday is based at the Colobus Trust's rescue centre at Diani Beach on Kenya's South, located on Kenya's coast, just south of Mombasa. People are attracted to the area by the white sandy beach, Indian Ocean, coral reef, forest, monkeys and other wildlife. Diani is the oldest beach resort in Kenya, and has been subject to rapid development over the last few decades, much of it unregulated. A great deal of forest has been lost, however the remaining patches still retain a rich biodiversity, including six primate species (vervets, sykes, colobus, baboons and two species of bushbaby).
Diani has all the facilities of a European beach resort, and is renowned for the water sports that it offers, including scuba-diving, kite surfing, fishing and much more. Diani attracts thousands of visitors every year, who generally come for a relaxing week by the beach after safaris. The area reportedly brings in 20-30% of Kenya's total foreign revenue per annum.
a day in a life of a volunteer
We'll be participating in a number of activities to reduce human/primate conflict. The program areas are: The work will be varied and each activity will target one of the conflict areas. Activities are likely to include; practical conservation work in forested areas (invasive scrub clearance, hole digging in hard coral rock, tree planting, etc); feeding and care of primates under rehabilitation; maintenance work within the Trust property and grounds (painting signs and buildings, de-rusting cages, building work, etc); research work and data collection within the forest and hotel grounds; collection of illegally set animal snares from forest and bush areas; repair of aerial monkey bridges that allow primates to cross the road safely.
We'll be in close contact with monkeys in and around the accommodation as well as observing animal rescues and rehabilitation work and aim to provide everyone with a broad-based experience within primate conservation. A reasonable level of fitness is required and work can be strenuous at times. Being able to cope with the heat and humidity is a must. Working times are generally 8.30am – 4.30pm Mon – Fri with a generous lunch break, although some of the work will require earlier morning starts, and later returns back to base.
travellers' tales
The most exciting part was experiencing first hand the African culture and being given the opportunity to be see so many things that other tourist don't get the chance to experience. (more)
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you are looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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These holidays, whilst based near a popular beach resort, actively contributes to the conservation of endangered primates, and shows that tourism doesn't need to be destructive to be fun. Conservation work within the kayas (sacred forest areas) improves the habitat for the primate species and other biodiversity that are found in this unique area, and assists kaya community groups with their objectives - to ensure the survival of the forest and to generate a sustainable income from it. Maintenance work at the Colobus Trust is an on-going project to ensure continued functioning of day-to-day activities (conservation, welfare, education, community support, etc). Volunteer assistance with research work such as the annual primate census is essential as the trust staff team is not large enough to achieve this - direct benefits include an improved understanding of the endangered colobus monkey and other primate populations. Activities such as de-snaring and bridge repair ensure that negative human impact on primate species in the area is minimised, and that healthy primate populations are maintained. The financial contribution to the project allows the trust to assist local groups with specific projects e.g. a bee keeping project within Kaya Diani.
As the UK's biggest environmental volunteering charity, our aim is to make the maximum contribution to the communities and places we work in and we always work with a local partner organisation. These are unique holidays in a unique place. Working directly with a local environmental organisations staff, volunteers and local people you'll have the chance to experience Kenya in a way no other holiday can offer. Living, laughing and working as a group, you're not only changing the world, you'll change your life. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |