Kinangop Grassland Reserves Rehabilitation For Sharpes Longclaw

Friends of Kinangop Plateau (FoKP) has been managing Kinangop grasslands for over 27 years and the custodian of Kinangop grasslands nature reserves. The grasslands are not fit to hold Sharpe’s longclaw to its capacity due to habitat structure that we are addressing. This is reached through research done over the years.

Friends of Kinangop Plateau, is supporting Nature Kenya, the BirdLife International Partner in Kenya, to manage the Nature Reserves. A local community-based organization, FoKP has been championing conservation of the unique highlands grasslands of the Kinangop Plateau for the last 27 years. These unique grasslands are almost entirely outside of protected areas. Through the years, we have carried consistent research and monitoring of the grasslands and biodiversity in these unique highland grasslands. We have also documented a very rapid decline of the grasslands and associated biodiversity loss. Our work indicates that only less than 2,000 individuals remain with an estimated 500 individuals in Kinangop.

To help address these threats, 4 nature reserves have been purchased. Our project targets rehabilitate reserve 1 and 2 and enhance the management of Nature Reserve 2, one of the 4 reserves acquired for support the conservation of the globally endangered, Sharpe’s Longclaw, also Kenyan Endemic. Purchase of this critical reserve was purchased with the support purchased through various stakeholders including the ICUN Netherlands.

With funding from Van Tienhoven Foundation, our project shall work towards improved vegetation structure in this reserve. The rehabilitation journey will be part of our continuous conservation journey. We hope that this well help lay a foundation for continued research and monitoring. The success of this project will work as a case study for future conservation efforts and shall be replicated in other degraded grasslands.

We shall employ open field sheep grazing to maintain desired vegetation structure in the nature reserve. This model shall be used as a training tool for local farmers.

Photo: A view of the vegetation structure in the target nature reserve. Photo Credit L. Ngari