Community Scout Programme – Grevy’s zebra

Introduction

The importance of community involvement in Grevy's zebra conservation cannot be underestimated: with only 0.4% of the Grevy's zebra range falling within official protected areas (Williams, 2001), their survival within community areas will depend on the attitudes of the people living there. But it will also depend on aligning interests so that both the lives of the Grevy's zebra and the lifestyles of the local peoples are enhanced. Since one of the major threats to Grevy's zebra survival has been identified as competition with domestic livestock (Williams, 1998), an integrated educational and monitoring program that operates in conjunction with the FRCP is critical.

Since 2003, LWC along with Princeton University scientists begun a community based data gathering and educational program that is designed to increase both awareness and appreciation for the plight and uniqueness of the Grevy's zebra. Not only are we empowering adults - both men and women - to gather data and thus learn more about the 'real' as opposed to 'mythical' habits of the Grevy's zebra, we are also teaching their children in grades 1-8 about conservation, wildlife dynamics and the biology of the Grevy's zebra. As has been the case with most changes in lifestyles in the western societies, action by children is the most effective way to initiate change in the behavior of adults.

Background

Initially, there were three radio-collared Grevy's zebra within each of the community areas of Sera, Namunyak and Il Ngwesi, making a total of nine: three territorial males, and six females.

The locations and herd compositions of these individuals are recorded monthly by air. But such data provides only the most basic information about location and at a scale that captures only the broadest of seasonal movements. With the addition of our community based GPS equipped 'scout' program we are gathering data at a much finer scale. Because of the existing relationship between Lewa and these communities, it was relatively straightforward to launch the monitoring and education program.

By melding practical learning with outreach education we are shaping the proactive involvement of communities in the future conservation of this endangered species. By building upon the feedback local peoples derive from first hand experience with Grevy's zebras we hope to increase the stability and growth of Grevy's zebra populations and guide particular communities to develop long-term strategies for better co-existing with these zebra.

By melding practical learning with outreach education we are shaping the proactive involvement of communities in the future conservation of this endangered species.

By building upon the feedback local peoples derive from first hand experience with Grevy's zebras we hope to increase the stability and growth of Grevy's zebra populations and guide particular communities to develop long-term strategies for better co-existing with these zebra.

Three communities were invited to participate in the original program-- Namunyak , Il Ngwesi and Sera. In each two women and one man were selected as scouts and each was invited to a training workshop to learn about the basic biology of Grevy's zebra, learn how to use the hand held Geographical Positioning System (GPS) device and how to gather the basic data on the location, composition and activities of Grevy's herds observed while carrying out daily activities. For the men Grevy's zebras would be recorded while herding livestock, whereas for the women data would be collected while collecting firewood and water.

The scouts in each community were paid for working one day per week and the days were staggered to broaden coverage. Check sheets written in Swahili, printed on water proof paper and bound into books are collected by Lewa scientists about once per month.

Results to Date
Data collected by the community scouts has revealed relevant information that is important to the conservation of Grevy's zebra. As expected, the different genders visit different habitats - men sight Grevy's zebra in "open" habitats whereas women sight Grevy's zebra in "closed" habitats. Most Grevy's zebra are found far from water. However, proximity to water varies by class and reproductive status with all classes preferring to drink at water "holes" as opposed to running rivers. Another striking feature is that Grevy's zebra increase in association with other wildlife species and decrease in association with livestock species.

These results are quite important as they show that community scouts can be important research assistants if gradually trained on basic data gathering techniques - animal distributions in relation to ecology, and can gather data on impacts of wildlife and livestock on Grevy's zebra habitat choice and use. The scouts have shown that the abundance, distributions, associations and responses of Grevy's zebra to livestock vary. Overall, community scouts have direct impacts on the conservation of Grevy's zebra both locally and nationally, and economic development of their communities.

Educational Programme

Our conservation program also involves an educational program in community schools. Each school has been visited at least once while some schools have got the benefit of a repeat visit. A lesson involving questions, lectures, discussions and hands-on activities has been presented. Questions such as: 'What is conservation?' 'What species are endangered in this area?', What are the characteristics of the Grevy's and plains zebras that make them different?' Do the two zebras use different habitats and engage in different activities?' were posed and answers were elicited in English, Swahili and Samburu. Surprising misconceptions about what local species are truly at risk were discussed, drawings were made of the two species to highlight differences and a story entitled 'Stripes' was used to underscore the likely consequences of competition over water sources between livestock and Grevy's zebras. In the end contests appropriate for each grade level involving writing stories on Grevy's zebras or drawing more sophisticated pictures were set as homework with prizes going to the best pieces.

Although it is just over one year into the project, both the data gathering and educational outreach components have gone on very well. There is striking evidence that using community members to monitor the local social and ecological dynamics of Grevy's zebra has important scientific value. That they also provide status for the men and women who serve as scouts also suggests that Grevy's zebras and their conservation are also rising in status.