The Arabuko-Sokoke Schools and Ecotourism Scheme

ASSETS Arabuko Canopy Platform

The Arabuko-Sokoke Schools and Ecotourism Scheme ASSETS is a sustainable development programme initiated by A Rocha Kenya that helps provide secondary school scholarships whilst promoting the conservation of the rich environments of Kenya’s Arabuko-Sokoke Forest and Mida Creek.

The Arabuko-Sokoke Forest is the largest coastal forest in Kenya. It is home to 270 bird species including 6 that are globally endangered. It is also rich in animal species and is a refuge for 90% of the world’s population of the Golden-rumped Elephant-shrew (Rhynchocyon chrysopygus).

Mida Creek, which lies next to the forest, is a tidal inlet fringed by a mangrove forest. It is a feeding ground for thousands of migrating birds, including over a thousand Crab-plovers (Dromas ardeola), as well as a flock of about 200 Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber). It is also a feeding area for sea turtles and a breeding area for many species of fish.

Both these environments face threats from humans. In the forest, the threats are illegal logging, land clearance and poaching, while the creek is at risk from over-fishing and bait-collection.

The ASSETS scheme is an attempt to link conservation strategy with community development. It focuses on secondary school education, something of a luxury for most people in the area. In 2001, the families of only 8% of children who qualified from primary school to go to secondary school could afford to pay the fees.

ASSETS students with grants

The ASSETS scheme works by channelling funds from ecotourism into secondary school fees through "eco-bursaries." The environmental benefits are two-fold. First, the need for families to exploit precious natural resources in order to pay for schooling is reduced. Second, the local people come to value the preservation of the forest and the creek because they benefit from it.

Any child living within 3 km of the forest and creek who has been accepted into secondary school is eligible to apply for an ASSETS eco-bursary. In order that the families do not become entirely reliant on the bursaries, no student is given a 100% bursary. Currently (2005) 122 children from 5 primary schools are being supported. Funding comes from local hotels and tour companies, and directly from tourists through charging for the use of a hide and a suspended walkway at Mida Creek, and a tree platform and nature trail in the forest. A Rocha Kenya has trained forest guides to a high quality to provide a better service for tourists.

ASSETS students and their parents also receive environmental education and are provided with seedlings for their own smallholdings, which gives them fuel wood and timber which they can use or sell. This provides further funding and helps reduce demand on the forest. This and other conservation benefits from the ASSETS programme will be monitored into the future.

Project leader: Stanley Baya

Partners: Kenya Wildlife Service, Forest Department, Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Management Team, Ministry of Education, Turtle Bay Beach Club, UNDP/Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme