Our Work.
Our Achievements & Impact
We have managed to set in place a track record of success in our community.
(1) Meaningful Indigenous People Collectivity and Connectivity for Indigenous-led Conservation of Endangered Beisa Oryx and Other Threatened Antelopes
the Beisa Oryx conservation and livelihoods empowerment project, which raised awareness among pastoralist communities about the species’ endangered status, leading to a reduction in illegal hunting.<br> Employment of over 60 community youth as community Wildlife rangers and forest scouts. Employed 15 Community Forest scouts on Acacia dryland forest management, civil cases on charcoal burning resolution and data collection.15 SBOC Recovery Range Recovery Rangers on wildlife management and dryland forest catchment management. Among the community conservation rangers, 15 are dedicated to Rapid, Response, Recovery of the endangered Beisa Oryx, this is in partnership with community conservancies and KWS rangers conduct anti-poaching patrols, weekly profiling, monitoring, data collection and population estimates measurements.<br> Then 15 scouts are dedicated to community dryland forest catchment monitoring and management, this is in partnership with community leaders, SBOC Ambassadors, conservancies rangers and Kenya Forest Services in surveillance, incidences collection, charcoal burning sensitization and management of planted trees.
Enhanced local communities’ engagement through 48 social conservation networks in form of self-help groups of over 764 ambassadors whilst reached >48.750 pastoralist with inclusive conservation education and awareness, SBOC as been intervening the prolonged droughts that occasionally engulf the region, to date we have provided >5000 bales of hay, 1.5 million liters of water, supported community conservancies Rangers allowances and operations.
(2) Dryland Acacia Forest Conservation and Community Rights
SBOC’s forest restoration efforts in dryland Acacia catchments have improved water retention and biodiversity, benefiting local livelihoods. These projects have fostered stronger community ownership of conservation initiatives, empowering Indigenous youth and women to take active roles in environmental stewardship. Mapped 15 Dryland Forest Catchment areas and facilitated habitat restoration actions that has led to planting of >46,523 indigenous trees and >30,000ha of degraded rangelands under locally led recovery restoration mechanisms. Trained >120 women and youth on waste management and plastic recycling models. Conducted 16 actions for collection of plastic, papers and debris in the community settlement areas and conservation areas. Conducted 96 school visit training and sensitization of the school ambassadors on sustainable acacia forest management. Mapped and identified 15 community dryland acacia forest catchments areas. Sensitized >6,000 community members & stakeholders on trees planting. Planted >180,523 indigenous trees in partnership with local communities and >60,000ha of degraded rangelands & Acacia forests under recovery restoration. Trained 15 CFMS on civil cases on charcoal burning resolution and data collection.
(3) Climate Justice and Promotion of Social Development for Conservation
With the SBOC Social Development for Conservation is part of the livelihood empowerment program mainstreamed to both conservation of Beisa oryx and dryland forest management, directly and indirectly benefited 5,670 households, This led to minimize subsistence poaching and charcoal burning has in the last two years disbursed USD 119,658.12 as loans to women and youth groups, Created jobs for 180 local community members. 190 youth trained on vocational skills and provided with tools kits and 631 school children involved in conservation as wildlife Ambassadors. Trained >120 women and youth on waste management and plastic recycling models. Conducted 16 actions for collection of plastic, papers and debris in the community settlement areas and conservation areas. Conducted 96 sensitization of community ambassadors on sustainable acacia forest management and charcoal burning.
(4) Land Tenure, Rights, and Impactful Carbon Management
As this project is part of the ongoing project partially funded by WCS, under the dryland forest conservation and community rights, some of the impacts have been achieved through the preliminary activities that have been conducted. Some include;
- SBOC facilitated the indigenous pastoralist Turkana community land registration audit process that led to community visiting the ministry of lands registrar in Isiolo and Nairobi, and ascertained the recovery of a portion of land for grazing-Nauuwa that was purported to have been grabbed by elites.
- SBOC in collaboration with the local ward admin office conducting a humanitarian aid organization mapping that are listed to provide the Ngaremara and Burat communities with aid, and over 1600 were identified, and an ongoing verification and confirmation of the impact the of the aid they provide is under way.
- The land registration community audit led to revisiting of the altered land allocations that some portions of land were registered under unknown people, and projects that the community members were not involved in allocation. Currently the issue is under scrutiny and verification involving the communities.
- With a group of pastoralist youth, SBOC offered technical assistance and advisory on engagement of carbon market sharing processes to the youth who engaged one service provider to enhance the engagement process of the community in sharing the carbon credit benefits. Now the sharing benefits is rotational, though yet involvement of expected threshold of the indigenous pastoralist’s communities in low. A more comprehensive advocacy pathway is being developed in partnership with the SBOC ambassadors’ groups for better engagement.
SBOC has led several impactful conservation projects, including the protection of the critically endangered Beisa Oryx and the restoration of dryland Acacia forest catchments. Our “Gender-Responsive Conservation” program has successfully engaged women and girls in monitoring wildlife populations, while our community-based “Citizen Science” initiative has trained locals in data collection. These efforts have contributed to the stabilization of species populations, the preservation of biodiversity, and the empowerment of Indigenous communities in managing natural resources.
The success of the model of SBOC guided by a community-led and inclusive approach of stewardship of locally tested and proved recovery strategic plans and actions of endangered Beisa Oryx and threatened small Antelopes in the region; it has shaped best practices and influenced government legislation. It is also helping to give historically marginalized communities the tools they need to shape a sustainable future alongside nature. In practice the SBOC model impact has led to stabilized declining population, halt habitat and rangelands degradation and empowered the local community’s livelihood, through direct conservation benefits actions.