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| Syke's monkey in Watamu |
Back in Watamu, Kenya working in a restoration site in nearby Gede Ruins this month! I'm here on the Kenyan coast with two UW Tacoma students, doing fieldwork exploring arthropod and bird diversity in a 2 ha forest restoration site that was planted with indigenous tree species 20 years ago - we're collaborating with local ornithologists and forestry experts to try to determine the link between forest regeneration and biological diversity. To that end, we'll be spending the next few weeks capturing and classifying arthropods and birds in the restoration site and nearby old growth coastal forest - as well as some farmsteads adjacent to the forest. We're particularly interested in the broader impacts of how restoring degraded landscapes can contrbute to ecological services such as pollination and biological control, overall species diversity, and carbon sequestration. Given that many local villagers depend on a variety of forest products for their livelihoods (in a region where the mean monthly income is roughly equivalent to $40USD), this study may have far-reaching implications for the local community. More updates to come as we dig into the fieldwork!
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| View of Kilimanjaro from plane en route to Watamu |
Sounds interesting. I will be coming to Watamu May 24-28 and would love to hear more about the project and perhaps write an article for our magazine Chonjo. Please check out our website: www.lamuchonjo.com. You will find contact information there if you would like to meet up.
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