Kenya’s coast is one of
the most thriving and exotic settings for
enjoyable and worthwhile activities. You could help with
projects such as Turtle Surveillance, Coral replenishing and monitoring, and
possibly even Whale monitoring – to name just a few!
The regions
where you'll be able to work on this project could stretch from the
Tanzania border to Funzi Bay.
You don't need any qualifications to
participate
in this project, but you must be a good swimmer.
This is a very varied (and thoroughly
enjoyable) project. You'll help in much needed conservation of marine
wildlife and habitats. The environment you'll work in is beautiful, not
to mention the glorious days of basking in the sun, the sea, and peace
and tranquility!
In general, the work on
your project could include much of the following - the specifics will
depend on what is needed at the time you're there, as well as factors
dictated by seasons and species migratory habits:
Water Research and sampling. Continuous transects
will be made to check water salinity, temperatures, and density. From
transects, large cement marking blocks have to be made and transported to
areas being transected. This is a lot of very hard physical work!
Vegetation Sampling – this involves
making quadrants and getting to know what kind of vegetation is in the
area and monitoring the change over time
Security checks and patrol. Help the
Kisite team check for illegal poaching of fish within the park.
Monitoring of fish populations.
Cleaning the
Mooring Buoys. Going
out to the buoys and getting into the
water to make sure the boundaries of the park are clearly visible for
everyone to see. The buoys also serve to deter
poachers!
Reef Checks. To assess damage and to
record for a national database of coral growth.
Cleaning the
beaches.Not only does
this help Kenya tourism by presenting a good face to the world, it stops
debris drifting off the beach into the ocean and poisoning the
underwater wildlife.
Agro forestry
practices - Management of the forest ecosystem and conservation of
animal and tress in the forest
Phenology studies. The study of an
organism as determined by the interaction of its genetic make-up and its
environment.
Fundraising. You will also be able to
help by putting forward any ideas for funding which
you may have, with the objective of helping to raise
the required money for necessary new
projects.
Written reports on
your work for the Kisite Marine team and the KWS. This will
continually be done throughout the year by volunteers
as the project is ongoing.
Help update and improve the new
database. If you have any computer skills
then this would be advantageous.
Any
other work which will be a benefit to the KWS and its Kisite Marine Team.
This could be anything from pushing paper in the office to constructing
fences or shelters, boat repairs, etc., etc.
You will be given
advice by a qualified warden as you go along your placement. This will be
in the form of on the job training.
SPECIFIC YEARLY PROJECTS
The projects
listed below are either subject to seasonal fluctuations or are in the
process of being initiated. In either event, it means that you may be able
to participate on them, provided they are taking place at the time you
have chosen to do your
placement.
Sea Turtle Monitoring: Based at Mpunguti Ya Chini, Funzi Island
and Shimoni Beach. There is also tagging of Turtles and a turtle
hatchery based at Funzi Island.
Dolphin Monitoring: There are plans to start a weekly monitoring programme
of the local Indian Ocean Dolphin off the coast of Kenya. There is a
current programme on stream to survey and monitor the very rare and
endangered Dungon Bottlenosed
dolphin.
Coconut Crab Monitoring – coconut crabs are
decreasing in number as the years go by. Because of this, the KWS has
launched an conservation initiative. The monitoring involves walking
around the beach and making record of where, when and how many were
sighted.
Dugongs and Whale Monitoring:
Going into the sea on a boat and looking for Dugongs and whales and
making recode of where, when and how many there were sited and the
approx ages.
Coral Reef Monitoring – assessing the damage
on the coral in the marine park, and also planting coral.
Bird Migration monitoring – monitoring birds
to establish how many species visit Kisite, how frequently, and the
change in their patterns when they appear in the area. It helps KWS keep
a record of the number and types or migratory bird that they have in the
Shimoni area.
COMMUNITY PROJECTS
Coral Replanting and Protection
– Helping the continuing growth of the local ecosystem. This will
involve snorkeling activities to achieve the desired results.
Maintenance of a tourist Boardwalk –
Helping to build and maintain a
boardwalk, to improve tourism opportunities for the local communities.
Mangrove Plantation and Rehabilitation –
The mangrove plantations
are a very important part of the ecosystem, so data collection for the
assessment of ecosystem functions is needed. Work
will including planting seedlings, pruning, and general upkeep of
the mangrove ecosystem.
Public awareness of the
importance of conservation – Helping
to educate the local communities, school children, and youth
groups on the importance of conservation. This
element is increasingly becoming a part of any conservation project
because it is crucial for the continued protection of the earth's
wildlife species. An example which occurred very recently and clearly
indicated how lack of knowledge gives rise to myths was when one of our
volunteers in South Africa asked a group of local school children what
sharks eat ... and the answer was "people".
Hours of work: The hours of work will be 8.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday. You may
even work weekends, with time off in lieu, so flexibility is a
requirement.
It is important to be aware that you may be
allocated to various different projects within this programme – It will
depend on what is needed at the time you are there.
QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS
The only
requirements for this project are that you must be a good swimmer and,
importantly, you must also have a keen interest in conservation and
wildlife.
If you have a PADI
certificate, that would be very beneficial.
Also, although
Travellers’ will try to put more than one volunteer (or a group of
volunteers) on the same project at the same time, there are periods where
the project itself will dictate that you may be the only volunteer on that
specific project.
About the Kisite Marine Park and Mpunguti Marine
National Reserve
In most of
our wildlife projects in Kenya Travellers works with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
The KWS
was established in 1989 to protect, maintain and develop Kenya’s natural
environment and heritage. To maintain its goals they adhere to a strict
code of conservation management and uphold close relations with local
communities as well as national and global partners, so as to ensure
optimum support for the natural habitats and wildlife under
their care.
The Kisite and
Mpunguti Marine Parks are located on the south coast off Shimoni and
south of Wasini Island. These lie in Kwale
District on the South Kenyan coast near the
Tanzanian border. Kisite Marine Park covers 11
square kilometres and Mpunguti Reserve
covers 28 sq. km.
The regions
where you'll be able to work on this project could stretch from the
Tanzania border to Kilifi.
The complex comprises
a marine area with four small islands surrounded by coral-reef.
Kisite Island is a small waterless coral island,
8 km offshore in the Marine Park. Coral platforms around the raised
central portion are exposed at low tide. The three other coral islets in
the park (Mpunguti ya Juu, Mpunguti ya Chini and Liwe la
Jahazi) lie closer to the larger Wasini Island.
Their surrounding waters have well developed coral gardens and a large
variety of fish, but the islands themselves are scrub covered and
support no significant wildlife or birds.
The Park and Reserve
are both a paradise for marine life, water birds, boaters, snorkelers and
divers alike. The water is refreshingly clean and extraordinarily clear
and has an unusual combination of terrestrial and undersea life. It is
also an important breeding habitat for birds and rare coconut crabs.
The coral gardens are one of the major attractions in the region, as is
the fishing, snorkeling and diving which attracts thousands of visitors to
the area each year. The whole of the Kenya coast is a paradise for
snorkeling and scuba diving, made more so by the very favourable climate.
Accommodation and Living in Kenya
The headquarters
for the Kisite Marine Park is based in Kisite, Mombasa. This
will be your base and will involve a stay in KWS Bandas (see Photo), for the duration of your
placement. The standard of accommodation is basic African and will give you a
true African experience.
You may share
a room with other volunteers.
The duration of your time away from the
Kisite Marine Project base, while working on the Community projects, will be
decided by the Marine Team while you're there. It will depend on how long they
would like you to work on the specific project and the period could be for a few
days or even up to two weeks.
Your food will be provided and
again will vary, depending on where you're living. Meals could be very basic and
at times you may only have two meals a day (a hearty breakfast and dinner), with
snacks and biscuits during the day.
Travel and Support:
You have the option to arrange your
own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would
like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights
and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will
be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.)
Where possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the
same flight and we will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other
volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up
before leaving for your placement.
Where possible, all flights we arrange for you
have changeable return tickets because many of our volunteers choose to extend
their stay once they are in their destination country. Changeable return tickets
enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa and the level of your air
ticket, of course. If you choose to book your own flights, you should endeavour
to get a changeable ticket. We meet you at the airport regardless of whether you
make your own travel arrangements or not.
Support: You'll fly into Mombasa where you'll be met by
our local Manager Njery Wathika or a member of her staff. She will take you
into Mombasa and get you settled into your accommodation. You will then
receive an induction into the country, and be taken to your placement
and introduced to everyone.
Volunteer with baby elephant
VISAS:. In countries where visas or
immigration documents are required, we'll send you all the necessary forms and
information and make the process very easy for you.
To read about the extensiveSupport & Backup
we provide in our countries, please
click here.
We can also arrange your flight
dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling
around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and wondrous country!
PRICES:
To see the Prices of this project and all
our other projects in Kenya, please
click here
Prices
include
Food & accommodation while on your project,
2 T-shirts, if required
for your project
All support and backup
during your programme
Meeting you at the
nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.
.
+44 01903 502595
