Project Detail

The Mountain Bongo Release Awareness Program

This is an OP2 top-up grant. The William Holden Wildlife Foundation will work with Mt. Kenya Wildlife Conservancy- who repatriated bongos from USA for reproduction; to create further awareness and publicity on the already funded Bongo Release programme and also form a Bongo surveillance unit for monitoring purposes.
The project will publicize the planned reintroduction of bred bongo antelopes to the Mt Kenya Forest. It will seek to create awareness among local residents on the need to provide needed safety for the bongos as they start a new life in the forest their ancestors lived in.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

William Holden Wildlife Foundation

Country:

Kenya

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

OP4 - Y1 (Jul 07-Jun08)

Grant Amount:

US$ 23,500.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 3,693.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

Project Number:

KEN/COMPACT2/OP2-TOP-UP/08/01

Start Date:

5/2008

End Date:

1/2010

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Photo Gallery

Bongos being reproduced at the Mt Kenya game ranch for wild repopulation - Western Mt Kenya - 2009

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Project Characteristics and Results

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

As part of the community education and awareness campaign, the project will promote conservation and sustainable use of forest resources. This will help to ensure the survival of the Mountain Bongos natural habitat in the forest as well as the entire Mt. Kenya ecosystem.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

The main focus of the project is to raise awareness of the Mountain Bongo and the Mt. Kenya World Heritage site, the threats facing them, and how the public can contribute to their conservation.

Notable Community Participation

The project will sensitize the communities all around Mt. Kenya to the importance of the Mountain Bongo to the Mt. Kenya ecosystem. These communities will help monitor and protect the Bongo once it is released back into the wild.

Policy Impact

The repatriation and release of the Mountain Bongo into its natural habitat on Mt. Kenya is a unique and unprecedented event in wildlife conservation. The project has resulted in an international partnership including government authorities, scientists, and wildlife conservation groups. The success of this project will help to show that such partnerships can be successful in helping to conserve biodiversity.

Policy Influence

Project sustainability

Through the community education and awareness campaign, the communities living around Mt. Kenya will be sensitized regarding the need to protect the Mountain Bongo and it's habitat. In addition, a Bongo Surveillance Team will be created and track the long-term progress of the Bongo in reintegrating into it's natural home. These efforts will help to insure the long-term survival and population growth of the Bongo in the Mt. Kenya forest while also protecting the forest ecosystem.

Project Results

The community education and awareness campaign will sensitize tens of thousands of people living in the communities surrounding Mt. Kenya about the reintroduction of the Mountain Bongo and why the Bongo is important to the Mt. Kenya ecosystem. The project will target students from schools in the vicinity of the mountain as well as communities living adjacent to the forest where the Mountain Bongo is expected to settle. This will be done through educational programmes at the William Holden Wildlife Education Center, school visits, production of brochures, poster, t-shirts, and signboards, and essay and art contests for students. By developing a respect and appreciation for the Bongo and its forest habitat, the project will help to insure the successful reintroduction of the Mountain Bongo to its native home on Mt. Kenya. By advocating for protection and conservation of the Mt. Kenya forest, the project will also help to conserve all biodiversity in the mountain ecosystem.

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Indicators

Biophysical

Number of globally significant species protected by project 1

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