About Bour- Algi Giraffe Sanctuary
The Bour- Algi Giraffe Sanctuary is hosted by Bour-Algi village, south of Garissa town and was set to host internally displace giraffe that had been affected by the Kenya/Somali border skirmishes. The project is managed by the county government of Garissa.
Its name “ Bour- Algi Giraffe Sanctuary “stems from the large presence of giraffes attracted by the abundant acacia trees.
With exceptional reception, more giraffe continued to arrive from far areas of Garissa district and Somalia where poaching was still rampant. Initially 30 individuals arrived and in less than 4 years, the Giraffe population in the Sanctuary had increased to over 300 individuals. Currently, the giraffes are the most visible beneficiaries of the tolerance of local people becoming so habituated to a human presence they could be seen browsing from the tops of the abundant Acacia tortilis that dot the area. he giraffes move freely within human settlement, or stoop to drink from close to where the local women are drawing water. Villagers came to view these giraffes –now nearly 400 of them, treating them with respect as fellow members of the community. Many tourists particularly UN and the strong NGO work force in the area flock the area occasionally, dumbfounded by extraordinary acquaintance of trust that seems to have developed between these giraffes and the locals.
Bour- Algi Giraffe Sanctuary Management
It was the year 1995 when four community members formed community based organisation at village level to offer protection not just for the giraffes, but for other mammals as well. The group lead by Mr. Hassan Afey became a strong voluntary force and proved to be remarkably dedicated in undertaking regular wildlife patrols and desnaring sweeps.
The concluded Trans-boundary Environmental Project (TEP), funded by the European Commission and implemented by Terra Nuova in association with Arid lands, has – since June 2003- supported the first phase of the sanctuary, where the sanctuary was transformed from single CBO affair to a participatory community owned project. A number of activities were done including stakeholder’s analysis, exposure tours, and organization capacity assessment leading to the formation of strong interim management committee, appointment of 14 community scouts and formal recognition of the sanctuary by both KWS and the county council of Garissa and the subsequently receiving of a registration certificate.
With these efforts, more members were recruited from neighbouring villagers mainly; Annam, Qabobey, Bula Wanawake, Jarirot, Hanjoley, Bour Algi, and Bula Sheikahmed leading to a broad acceptance and appreciation of conservation and ecotourism among the pastoral Somalis. The livelihood activities for these communities include: charcoal burning, livestock rearing & trade, quarrying / sand harvesting, fuel wood sales , building poles harvesting, poaching among others.
Wildlife and Ecotourism Potential of the area Wildlife & Habitat diversity
The area is an Acacia-Commiphora dominated woodland with scattered bushes / thickets. Apart from the Reticulated Giraffe (estimated at 400 individuals), other wildlife species include; Gerenuk, Lesser Kudu, Cheetah, Hippopotamus, Guinea fowls & other passerine species of birds, Common Zebra, Warthog (declining population due to poaching), Ostriches (Somali race), Hyena ( common and stripped), Lions among others. Two critically endangered species mainly Grevys Zebra and the African wild dogs have been occasionally reported.
Ecotourism products and potential by Bour- Algi Giraffe Sanctuary
Natural resources (forest, wildlife, water among others) are inherent and appropriate targets from which Communities can derive livelihood improvement and income generation activities that can have a positive long-term impact on poverty with a significant contribution to the millennium development goals.
The establishment of the Garissa Giraffe Sanctuary will be a deliberate venture to develop a nature based business that will contribute towards uplifting the economic status of the Bor – Algi community in tandem with the MDG goal –1 of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger currently rated at 58% in Garissa with 73% rural and 65% Urban (ref).
Bour- Algi Giraffe Sanctuary
The income generated from the project will enable parents afford education for the children many of who are not attending school or have dropped out of school. The literacy rate of 15 – 24 years olds in the area stands at 26.1% with the average years of school attendance being 4 years. The area has a great potential for natural resource exploitation for alternative incomes by the communities, especially in rural pastoral areas and at the same time involving communities in natural resources management and conservation, hence ensuring sustainable use of natural resources by communities living adjacent to it.
Some of the unique ecotourism products that can be developed in this area include: Camp sites, Botanical gardens, Somali cultural museum / centre, nature trails, camel rides, boat riding, cultural bandas as well as the famous religious festivals such as the Eid and Moulidi festivals which are huge attractions in areas like Lamu and Zanzibar.
The Bour – Algi community has many active women with a rich cultural heritage that can be used to develop outstanding cultural products e.g. craft village, cultural centre that will bring women on board ensuring incomes to support the household economy and provide education for the girl child, thus realizing the MDG goal – 3 Genders Equity and Empowerment Of Women.
Currently in Garissa, Female Net Enrolment ratio stands at 7.4% with Female Primary School Transition rate 45.1 % (MDG Profile data for Garissa 2003 -2005).
Current situation and Challenges faced by Bour- Algi Giraffe Sanctuary
Currently in this unique wildlife habitat yet a potential ecotourism hotspot, has not being exploited to benefit the local’s despites securing the land to conserve the existing wildlife and habitat diversity. There is no development plan in place to direct settlement and safe guard the existing ecological diversity. The proposed sanctuary area is a trust land held in trust for the local community by the Garissa County Council (GCC) as provided by Cap 208 of the laws of Kenya.
Several efforts have been made by the TEP in collaboration with local CBOs and other partners like NEMA, KWS, WCK, geared towards environmental education campaigns and active ecological data gathering & monitoring to create awareness among stakeholders and local community on the threats to existing rich wildlife and habitat diversity. However, the fact that the sanctuary does not generate any income to the locals is a major setback in wining their support.
Instead, communities members engage in unsustainable land and resources utilisation practises.Most evident are; charcoal burning targeting the Acacia trees, over grazing, blockage of access routes for wildlife and livestock to watering points by farming community, increasing human settlement in the area and wood and fuel wood harvesting. Also key catchments areas are under threat from uncontrolled grazing and human settlement.
Despite the unique location of the sanctuary and accessibility (the main road from Garissa to Ijara), the area lacks a developed tourism support infrastructure and neither does it fall within an established tourism circuit. Albeit, the area is occasionally frequented by the curious tourists and no levies are charged neither. As a manager and supporter of this initiative, this makes me a worried man.
The project focuses on the conservation and management of this species that once occurred throughout much of the horn of Africa, but is now, largely confined to northern Kenya. In so doing the project will:
- Establish community-based ecological monitoring systems for the sanctuary,
- Improve and expand security operations within the sanctuary,
- Undertake a preliminary assessment and ecological research within the sanctuary.
Further, the Bour- Algi Giraffe Sanctuary project will work to promote capacity building and make management recommendations for the long-term compatibility of wildlife, livestock, and pastoralists in Garissa County.
Results from this project will provide sorely-needed information on the basic ecology and natural history of these giraffe, and will form the basis of conservation and monitoring of this range restricted species in its native range in north-eastern Kenya.
Bour- Algi Giraffe Sanctuary Contacts
Ali A Hussein, Sanctuary Manager,
Garissa Community Giraffe Sanctuary,
P.O. Box 993 • 70100, Garissa, Kenya.
Mobile: +254 722 772113
Email: shindeye2000@yahoo.com