Grevy’s Z ebra Conservation in Kenya 2015

Report & funding proposal prepared for supporters & members of the Grevy’s zebra EEP conservation projects

Tanya Langenhorst EEP Coordinator & International Studbook Keeper for Grevy’s zebra

Dr Zeke Davidson Kenya Project Manager

Marwell Wildlife October 2015

www.marwell.org.uk/conservation

Acknowledgements We would like to thank the following for their ongoing and very generous support during 2014 and 2015: Amersfoort Zoo Banham Zoo – ZSEA Drusillas Park Kolmardens Insamlingsstiftelse Koninklijke Maatschappij voor Dierkunde van Antwerpen Quagga Rufford Foundation Stichting Vrienden Safaripark Beekse Bergen en Dierenrijk Wildlife Worldwide Wilhelma Zoologisch-Botanischer Garten Stuttgart

Cover: Grevy stallion on Lewa © Marwell This page: Northern Kenya © Marwell

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Introduction

It is with great pleasure that I can deliver to you another issue of the annual Grevy’s zebra conservation report & funding proposal. Our team in Kenya has been very busy over the last 12 months and here we would like to inform and update you an all the activities that your funds and support have made possible. Thank you for your continued support for the conservation of this beautiful species of zebra

While working side by side with colleagues from the Grevy’s zebra Technical Committee (GZTC) on national projects and initiatives, Marwell’s focus is firmly on the far north of Kenya, the Milgis Ecosystem. Over the last two years we have put a lot of effort into training a Kenyan team made up predominantly of national Masters students and local scouts to create a strong and lasting conservation network. All activities in this area are embedded within the communities that share their area with Grevy’s zebra

As you will see in the text below, we have already had some very interesting results of monitoring the Grevy’s zebra in this understudied and remote landscape.

Furthermore you will find updates on national developments such as collaring, stripe ID database, building conservation capacity within Kenya, and the EEP’s drought relief support. Thank you to all our donors and supporters for their loyalty. We could not do this work to protect the Grevy’s zebra without you. Section A of this document contains a report of the activities of Marwell Wildlife and its partners regarding Grevy’s zebra conservation in the past year. At the end of this section is a list of these partners and, as ever, please feel free to ask Tanya for any further information you might require. In Section B we are presenting our proposed activities for 2015/16 together with their associated costs.

The Status of Grevy’s Zebra (Equus grevyi) The status and distribution of the species has been assessed by Dr Dan Rubenstein (IUCN Grevy’s zebra Coordinator, Princeton University) this year together with Belinda Low-Mackey (GZT) and Dr Zeke Davidson (Marwell) as a contribution to the IUCN listing process. The assessment is awaiting a final review before we know which Red List status will be assigned to the species. International Studbook The international studbook for Grevy’s zebra 2014 (Langenhorst, 2015) recorded 189.324.0 (513) Grevy’s zebra in 116 institutions in 28 countries at the end of 2014. Of these 88.164.0 (252) animals are managed in 52 EEP institutions. While the North American SSP coordinates 59.109.0 (168) animals in 39 institutions (US and Canada). A third population is managed in Japan and consists of 9.10.0 (19) animals in eight zoos. Together, these populations provide a genetically and demographically healthy back up to their wild counterparts. If you are interested in the studbook, please contact Tanya Langenhorst, the EEP Coordinator, or download a PDF from our website: https://www.marwell.org.uk/conservation/achievements/studbooks

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The following maps will help you to spatially interpret the information in the report below.

Fig.01/02: Maps providing a detailed layout of the focal areas in which Marwell is currently operational and the National Grevy’s zebra Monitoring Zones.

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Section A. Summary of Activities in 2014/15

In this section we provide a detailed overview of the work we have carried towards Grevy’s zebra conservation over the last year. Together with our partners from the Grevy’s Zebra Technical Committee and with your financial support we have extended the area in which we operate and provided crucial monitoring, cooperation with communities, support for the Kenya Wildlife Service and, last but not least, potentially lifesaving intervention for Grevy’s zebra. We would like to thank you for your support without which most of our activities would not be possible

Grevy’s zebra Liaison Office Support The role of Grevy’s Zebra Liaison Officer is an important one in the cooperation of partner organisations with the Kenya Wildlife Service, the administration of the Grevy’s zebra Technical Committee (such as organising and running meetings or workshops, producing minutes for these events), and active involvement on the ground, e.g. research and organising supplementary feeding . The EEP was instrumental in setting up this role 10 years ago and we were therefore happy that we could provide funds from the EEP once more, not only to enable the current officer,

George Anyona (Pictured above), to travel to meetings, collaring missions and other field projects in 2014, but also to enable KWS to employ him for the whole of 2015. His work has included:

o Participation on behalf of KWS in the South Horr collaring work o Following up on collared animals o Facilitated KWS permissions for our NKGZP work and for the collaring operations o Undertaken several trips to meetings at KWS Head Quarters in Nairobi as part of his KWS

officer duties. These typically keep the agenda of the GZTC on track with HQ o He is handling KWS partnership in the Meru GZ project

George is currently based in the Nyeri Station Office (KWS) as a Research Assistant to further his education and training. You can also read more about him under Professional Development.

Monitoring of Grevy’s zebra Digital Stripe Pattern Identification Database This project is creating a database of field based identifications of all individuals sighted, and re-sighted, with an aim of obtaining data on the distribution, abundance and connectivity of Grevy’s zebra populations throughout its range, and, ultimately, in Ethiopia as well. The national database continues to grow steadily through monthly data collection from Lewa Conservancy, Grevy’s Zebra Trust, Marwell Wildlife and Mpala Research Centre. It currently holds 22739 images. Discussions are underway on the best way to systematically clean the national database from duplicate entries and pictures of dead individuals as we continue adding more information to it. Cleaning up of the database is becoming an important aspect of our work so we can produce accurate results every time.

Pic. 02: Grevy’s zebra group © Marwell

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New software called IBEIS (Image Based Ecological Information System) is currently under development, and will enable us to better monitor the health of the entire population of Grevy’s zebra, discover dangerous trends and help us avoid human and wildlife conflicts. A team from Princeton University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Illinois-Chicago, and Wild Me is building this system. Marwell have facilitated IBEIS implementation at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in collaboration with Prof. Dan Rubenstein and key members of the ID team, e.g. Lizbeth Mate, the stripe ID coordinator, had training early this year to learn how it works. Since then they have entered and processed data spanning eight months into IBEIS to test it. We are currently using IBEIS alongside the existing Extract Compare program (Hiby 2010) (the system we have used since the beginning of this project), with an aim of consolidating data from the two programs, as IBEIS becomes a fully functioning tool for monitoring our Grevy’s zebra population. National Survey of Grevy's zebra In an exciting development at the recent GZTC meeting held in Nairobi on the 2nd of July 2015, members agreed to plan a dedicated national survey effort using the IBEIS stripe ID protocol. This was successfully piloted on plains zebra and giraffe in Nairobi National Park (http://ibeis.org/wordpress/great-zebra-count-at-nairobi-national-park/). Our data base manager, Lizbeth Mate, will be a key member of this survey team. We plan to deploy a large-scale team in multiple key Grevy’s zebra locations on the same two days to undertake a capture / re-capture survey using digital photography and the stripe ID tool. It is anticipated that the National stripe ID count will take place in late January 2016, soon after the triennial aerial survey count for Grevy’s zebra (in cooperation with Save The Elephants) in late November 2015. This will provide the first ever large-scale ground based census figures with which to validate the national population statistics for Grevy’s zebra. Should any EEP members be interested in sending their own team or staff members to participate in this, they would have to organise their own trip, but any photos taken would contribute to the survey. Please make sure to register your interest in this with Tanya Langenhorst, so she can keep you updated on timings and details as they emerge. Grevy’s Zebra Collaring Over the past 10 years we have deployed 35 collars in the Wamba management zone, in northern Kenya. In February 2015 the most recent collaring mission took place in the remote location of South Horr. This is the furthest north that the species has been systematically studied in this way and represents the margin of their current functional population distribution. A team of 17 people including KWS, Marwell and Lewa set off to collar four female Grevy’s zebra. Due to the weather and environmental conditions, this turned out to be most difficult and demanding collaring operation to date. The vet proved to be exceptional, making "lob" shots of over 60m in range, in high winds to hit the mark! This experienced and dedicated team did eventually manage to collar two animals which was seen as a successful mission given the circumstances. Good samples were collected for blood, hair and a variety of body measurements.

Pic. 03: Collared female, now with foal on El Barta plains © GZT

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Pics. 04-06: Collaring and safe recovery of one female © Marwell

Both females collared recovered well and one has returned to GPRS range and begun reporting data to the central database - the first wildlife movement data ever collected for this part of Northern Kenya and the first record ever of any large bodied wildlife to cross the Chalbi desert (see NKGZP report below). The map (Fig.03) shows the female spending time in grazing areas to the North, and making a trip into a local settlement (Anderi) to drink at natural springs.

Fig 03: Zebra tracks following collaring in South Horr © Marwell.

The collaring (telemetry) study is maturing as a long term conservation effort next year after a decade of consistent effort, with data now able to provide extremely valuable planning tools both for the conservation of the species and the development of Kenya as a country. Major contributions have been made as part of our involvement in a government task force initiative to define the wildlife movement corridors of Kenya. Most recently, a study in collaboration with Imperial College of London MSc. graduate Nicole Levikov has used the entire dataset spanning 9 years, and all collared individuals. Ananlysis indicates that the presence of water and human settlements have the strongest influence on the propensity of Grevy’s zebra to relocate. We used an analytical technique know as a Dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Model, to define migratory routes and areas which are important to Grevy’s for foraging. The map below indicates these areas, which appear not to alter with seasonal changes, and the movement corridors between them (Please refer to the introductory maps for wider scale spatial orientation). We are developing these results as part of a paper entitled, “Factors influencing foraging and migratory decisions in Grevy’s Zebra: To move or not to Move”. Please see below a map of these first results (Fig.04):

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Fig.04: Important foraging areas in blue and linkage corridors (green) between them (From Levikov and Davidson et al. in prep.)

The collaring data are extremely useful to a wide variety of projects and national decision making. We are highly dependent on the EEP contributions and are particularly grateful to Kolmarden Zoo who have enabled this work for several years now. This project has a top priority in the long-term conservation of the wild, free ranging populations of the species.

Disease Response Committee (DRC) Last year the Disease Response Committee agreed to a request from the Grevy’s zebra Trust to provide supplementary feeding and the guidelines are in place to allow for this to happen again as and when needed. Drought Relief Results so far show that the supplementary feeding that was put into place during the drought last year is having a marked effect on the survival of foals less than one year old. No foals were lost in either of the last two bad droughts in which feed was supplied. Foals did, however, die during the drought a couple of years ago (2008/9) when no help was provided. The sense is that supplementary feeding keeps mothers from moving large distances by providing food when it is most needed and foals are most vulnerable. This is showing signs of being a very important intervention that needs to be continued. Northern Kenya is now facing another bad dry season as the rains were late and little. The colleagues in the field expect to be feeding again this season – probably by early autumn.

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Professional Development Lizbeth Njeri Mate, who has been managing the stripe ID project for several years now, has completed her MSc. studies in Project Planning and Management and her thesis ‘Influence of community based wildlife management on Grevy’s zebra conservation in Westgate Community Conservancy in Samburu County, Kenya was awarded a distinction. She graduated in December 2014 (Pic.07). While Lizbeth started out with a background in international development, her work with us has meant that she is now very much involved and interested in conservation, and the Grevy’s zebra in particular. She is very keen to stay in this field of work and we are hoping to retain her for at least another year as her knowledge gained over the years, her organisational skills and her enthusiasm have proven invaluable to the whole team.

Enrita Naanyu Lesoloyia, the young teacher from the remote Samburu village of Ol Donyo Nesipa in the Milgis, has completed her studies on wildlife conservation and community development and graduated just a few days ago. She has high aspirations as she wants to use her training as a teacher and her experience in conservation to promote peace between her Samburu people and the neighbouring Turkana tribe. The area in which the Northern Kenya Grevy’s Zebra Project (see below) operates in is often the scene of violent cattle raiding and retaliatory strikes. We fully support Enrita’s belief that wildlife and environment on which the pastoral communities all depend can be a unifying factor. Marwell is seeking funding to complete Enrita’s Lesoloyia’s training as a Project Manager and be ready to transition the NKGZ project to focus on peace, cooperation and sustainable natural resource management between Samburu and Turkana communities using Grevy’s zebra and other wildlife conservation as a unifying factor.

Pics. 09-10: George (middle) training community scouts in data recording AND Enrita (on the left) discussing work with one of the female scouts © Marwell

Pic.07: Lizbeth with her dad on graduation day © Marwell

Pic.08: Enrita; with George Anyona (left) and Clarine Kigoli our data entry technician, and Lizbeth Mate (right) on graduation day © E. Lesoloyia

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George Anyona serves as a Research Assistant based in the Nyeri Station Office (KWS) to further his education and training. He is also the Grevy’s Zebra Liaison Officer to the national Grevy’s Zebra Technical Committee, a position funded by the EEP. Like Enrita, George works closely with the community wildlife monitoring scouts (Pics.09 & 10). He has passed on skills from his own training to greatly improve patrols, camera-trapping and use of Cyber-tracker in the field. His thesis, ‘Movements and distribution of Grevy’s zebra (Equus grevyi) in South Horr, Samburu District’ draws on these datasets along with vegetation sampling to help describe and infer the impacts of grazing resources on Grevy’s zebra ecology. George is also aiming to graduate with a Master title later this year.

Lewa Research Department Last year, we reported (Langenhorst and Davidson, 2014) that four new monitoring officers have been employed by the Lewa Research Department since January 2014 to provide monitoring and evaluation services to surrounding community conservancies and private ranches; however, the community conservancies suffered a lot of insecurity this year, along with a number of places in Kenya, making progress difficult in 2015. Lewa does continue to work closely with their sister organisation the Northern Rangelands Trust in their combined approach to assisting community conservancies. Much progress has been made in developing strong ties and preparing for direct conservation activity in 2016/17. Marwell’s Kenya Programme Manager, Dr Zeke Davidson, has involved the monitoring officers in developing a collaborative human footprint dataset together with these conservancies, Northern Rangelands Trust, and Save the Elephants. Borana Conservancy is now using the SMART tool (a spatial monitoring and reporting tool developed by the Zoological Society of London) and Cybertracker (www.cybertracker.org) for digital data capture. Lewa officers are carrying this out and incorporating the data in to their reports – so effectively treating the conservancies as one landscape from a monitoring & evaluating perspective. We are hopeful that a number of closely related organisations and landscapes will follow suit in 2016. These include the Ngare Ndare Forest Trust which manages the forest on Lewa’s southern boundary with Mount Kenya, and the Mount Kenya Trust working closely with KWS to conserve the Mount Kenya National Park and the elephant corridor between Lewa and the National Park.

Pic.11: Group of Grevy’s zebra in the Milgis Ecosystem © Marwell

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The Milgis Ecosystem Phase 2 of the Northern Kenya Grevy’s Zebra Project (NKGZP) The Northern Kenya Grevy’s Zebra Project focuses on a previously unstudied population of Grevy’s zebra and their relationships with pastoral communities in and around the South Horr Valley located between Mount Nyiru and Mount Kulal massifs (Fig.05).

The three goals of the project during this phase were: (1) to understand the population and ecology of Grevy’s zebra, including movements between the South Horr study area and the adjacent landscape, and their relationships with pastoralist communities; (2) to build capacity for wildlife conservation and community engagement through training of local post-graduate students; and (3) to foster community participation in wildlife conservation.

We are using three different methods to monitor the Grevy’s zebra 1) Camera traps: we have now deployed 10 camera-traps which are all well maintained by our

team of community wildlife monitoring scouts. This resulted in 2,582 images of Grevy’s zebra with additional records of other species inhabiting the study area. Clarine Kigoli, a young Kenyan, is employed to extract and analyse the information from camera trap pictures for Grevy’s zebra but also a whole range of other species. The data from camera traps provided evidence for the presence, relative abundance and population demographics of Grevy’s zebra. Frequencies of sightings were used as an indication of the species’ activity throughout the day and night.

2) Direct observations: Our team of community scouts followed zebra trails on foot and undertook direct observations of animals to monitor Grevy’s zebra behaviour, their movements between grazing and water resources and activity patterns. Specially trained community-based wildlife monitoring scouts were employed to manage camera-traps and track Grevy’s zebras.

3) GPS/GSM collars: were deployed on two non-lactating females on the assumption that their movements would not be restricted by nursing foals.

Fig. 05: Map showing the location of Marwell’s Northern Kenya Grevy’s Zebra Project

Two local post-graduate students, Enrita and George, undertook fieldwork helping us to understand more about the ecology of Grevy’s zebra in the South Horr area, and to assess the impact of wildlife conservation on community development.

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Early results from the first two years of monitoring Population Estimate We used a simplified ‘sight, re-sight’ estimate to calculate the population size in the study area using time delimited data from 2013 and 2014. We identified 36 individuals in 2013 and 37 new unique individuals in 2014. A total of 22 individuals were re-sighted between these periods, suggesting a total population size of approximately 60 Grevy’s zebra based on the Lincoln Index (Southwood 2000). The figure is consistent with local knowledge which suggests that between 40 and 80 Grevy’s zebra are found in the area. Population Structure Our analysis found a skewed ratio of 3 males to 1 female amongst animals that could be readily sexed from the images. A similar bias can be seen for this species elsewhere in Kenya. Adult Grevy’s zebras were most commonly seen (92% of sightings) with very low numbers of juveniles (2%) and foals (6%). The presence of foals demonstrates that Grevy’s zebra in the area are reproducing, but the imbalanced age structure suggests an unstable local population at risk of decline. Greater sampling effort is needed, and over a longer period, to verify this picture. Activity The monitoring showed that Grevy’s zebras typically travelled about 20 km a day between grazing areas and water points. Scouts reported that when animals are disturbed and do not finish drinking, they hide away in dense vegetation near the water sources and resume drinking the following evening. Grevy’s zebra were usually detected at water points between 21:00 hrs and 06:00 hrs (Fig.06); consistent with previous studies (Williams 2002) showing that they tend to drink at night when excluded by livestock during the day. We believe this behaviour is vital for the persistence of Grevy’s zebra in this area and for their coexistence with people and livestock. The animals travelled on two main routes through the South Horr landscape. On their way to and from water sources located along the valley floor, they accessed a series of grazing areas. Animals spent their foraging time in open grasslands, and in bushlands where they browsed on herbs and dwarf shrubs when grass availability was limited.

Fi.06: Activity Rhythms as indicated by frequency of trapping.

Population Connectivity The GPS/GSM collars were deployed only in spring this year. Already, we tracked one animal over a distance of 500km in less than a month resulting in a displacement distance of 238km between the start and end of this journey. Remarkably (as reported above), this animal crossed the Chalbi desert, following a circuitous route for 11 days in this environment. She then moved to the hot springs near Kargi on the eastern edge to drink before ascending the ancient lava flows to find

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foraging opportunities. The Grevy then travelled south along the foothills of the Ndoto Mountain range at Ngurnit (Fig.03). As this is the first recorded movement of a large mammal across the Chalbi desert, it suggests that the area could provide an important refuge and corridor for arid adapted wildlife. More specifically, the movement of this animal demonstrates important connectivity between our remote study area and other locations occupied by Grevy’s zebra.

Pic.12: Male Grevy’s zebra awaiting an opportunity to drink at Keroli Springs in the Chalbi Desert © Marwell Wildlife

Resource Availability George Anyona (see above) is evaluating foraging and water resources across the area with vegetation sampling. As the water table drops during the drier part of the year, springs dry out and

the water retreats higher and higher into the ravines. So do the people and their livestock with wildlife following closely behind. These very limited sources of available surface water become vital points of coalescence for all who rely on them. Our data suggest that Grevy’s zebra utilising dry environments, including the desert in the far north of Kenya, retreat to the mountain foothills at these times. Community Participation Our team of community based wildlife monitoring scouts have so far performed beyond our original expectations. The depth of interest, commitment and competency of each member of the team has resulted in good quality data, almost perfect operation of camera-traps during this study period and highly informative field observations. The scouts have learnt the use camera-traps and Cyber tracker and assisted with field techniques such as vegetation sampling (Pic.13). Our early findings suggest that communities have embraced the initiative which brings perceived intelligence and security benefits in an uncertain environment as a by- product of wildlife monitoring activities.

Pic.13: George Anyona (on the right) and Scout Lmatiwan Lekupee count herbaceous species in a sample quadrant in northern Kenya ©Marwell Wildlife

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We have now begun selection to employ a team of four ‘IlKirimats’ (Samburu word for ‘caretakers’). These people will be based in two locations, South Horr and Loltepes, and responsible for liaising with communities in the study area. Their role will be to hold meetings and interviews with people experiencing conflict with wildlife and intercommunity tension over resources and the collection of human footprint data. This is essentially a ‘listening and understanding brief’.

Pic.14: the Northern Kenya team: Zeke, Clarine, Lizbeth, Enrita © Marwell

Next steps Phase 3 of the Northern Kenya Grevy’s Zebra Projects will represent a significant shift in our hopes and expectations for this area. By the end of this next period, we hope to be able to quantify impacts of human activities on Grevy’s zebra and begin to see tangible benefits accruing to local communities through the conservation process led by Enrita Lesoloyia. Ultimately, increases in the abundance of Grevy’s zebra, and enhanced diversity of other species will provide a meaningful measure of biological success and ecosystem health over the longer term. During this phase of the project we seek to: 1. Determine the size and detailed understanding of demographic status of the Grevy’s zebra population between consecutive years.

2. Map human settlements, livestock distribution and density as a means of determining interactions with Grevy’s zebra and other wildlife.

3. Use the results of the two MSc projects carried out by George Anyona and Enrita Lesoloyia to inform conservation and community development decisions.

4. Complete Enrita’s Lesoloyia’s training as a Project Manager and be ready to transition the project to focus on peace, cooperation and sustainable natural resource management between Samburu and Turkana communities using Grevy’s zebra and other wildlife conservation as a unifying factor.

5. Complete the preparation of the team of 12 community based wildlife monitoring scouts and IlKirimats (caretakers) ready to support future conservation and community development goals.

6. Determine presence and relative abundance of mammals in the study area as biological indicator of conservation success and ecosystem health. Please also read the funding proposal (Appendix B) which will give you a lot more details on our plans.

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References and further reading Hiby, L. (2010) Extract Compare Software for Zebra. http://www.conservationresearch.co.uk/ accessed 17 July 2015. Langenhorst, T. (2015). International studbook for Grevy’s zebra (Equus grevyi) 2014, current until 31.12.2014. Marwell Wildlife, UK. Langenhorst, T. & Z. Davidson (2014). Grevy’s Zebra Conservation 2014 Report & funding proposal prepared for supporters & members of the Grevy’s zebra EEP conservation projects. Marwell Wildlife, UK.

Southwood, T.R.E. & Henderson, P. (2000) Ecological Methods, 3rd edn. Blackwell Science, Oxford. Steventon, J; Liebenberg, L; Derbecker, M; Bapat, V & Miles, D.G. (1997). Cyber tracker Version 3.362. http://www.cybertracker.org/software/free-download, Accessed 18 July 2015. Williams, S.D. (2002) Status and Action Plan for Grevy’s Zebra (Equus grevyi). In Equids: Zebras, Asses, and Horses: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan (ed P.D. Moehlman), pp. 11-27. IUCN/SSC Equid Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland

Our Grevy’s zebra conservation colleagues and partners Marwell Wildlife works closely with Kenyan conservation partners with whom it develops joint conservation programmes. Our key partners – listed alphabetically – are described briefly below: Disease Response Committee (DRC) The DRC is a subcommittee of the GZTC. The committee members were appointed by the Director of Kenya Wildlife Service, and include wildlife veterinarians, livestock veterinarians (Department of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Livestock Development), research institutions (University of Nairobi and Kenya Agriculture Research Institute - CVR Muguga), ecologists (KWS, NGOs such as AWF, GZT and Marwell Wildlife), and wildlife managers (KWS parks and reserves department). Grevy’s Zebra Technical Committee (GZTC) Originally formed as the Grevy’s Zebra Working Group (GZWG) to support the national survey for Grevy’s zebra, this collaboration has since diversified into a range of Grevy’s zebra conservation activities. These include anthropological surveys, the testing of various survey methods, analysis of GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) radio collar data, and efforts towards a centralised Grevy’s zebra identification database (the National Stripe ID Database). In recognition of the key role GZWG played, Kenya Wildlife Service has requested that this working group becomes the Grevy’s Zebra Technical Committee (GZTC). The GZTC is a collaboration among seven organisations all committed to conserving Grevy’s zebra, including: Grevy’s Zebra Trust (GZT), Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Marwell Wildlife, University of Princeton/Denver Zoo (DZ/PU), Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and the AWF. Marwell continues to play a key role in the coordination of this group and its activities. Grevy’s Zebra Trust (GZT) The Grevy’s Zebra Trust (GZT) has been established to address the urgent need to conserve Grevy’s zebra in the community rangelands of Ethiopia and Kenya. GZT was tasked with implementing the national survey of Grevy’s zebra in 2008, and has become an integral part of the GZTC.

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Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) The KWS is the country’s statutory wildlife body and is ultimately responsible for the conservation of Grevy’s zebra. In partnership with KWS, Marwell Wildlife and the EEP have contributed significantly to the development of the national Grevy’s Zebra Conservation Strategy. Lewa Wildlife Conservancy (Lewa or LWC) The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy holds some 20 percent of the world’s remaining free-ranging Grevy’s zebra and hosts a dynamic research programme. Marwell continues to support Grevy’s zebra monitoring and research within Lewa, and many of the projects planned by the GZTC will be carried out in collaboration with the Lewa Research Department (LRD). Milgis Trust The Milgis Trust is a non-profit organisation founded by wildlife conservationist and safari guide Helen Douglas-Dufresne and her partner Peter Ilsley to sustain the wildlife, habitat and the pastoral peoples’ way of life in northern Kenya. In January 2010 the Trust approached Marwell with a request to establish wildlife monitoring within the Milgis ecosystem and to assist with processing and analysing a backlog of wildlife data. As this area is ideal Grevy’s zebra habitat, we jumped at the chance to work with this dynamic, dedicated and intensely passionate team. Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) NRT supports the development of community conservancies. Marwell has partnered with NRT to implement a programme of training and capacity building to strengthen wildlife management within all member-community conservancies. In addition, it has co-developed a system for wildlife and vegetation monitoring which is being introduced to a selection of conservancies. University of Princeton/Denver Zoo (DZ/PU) Our association with DZ and PU are coordinated through the GZTC, as they are represented on this committee. Both institutions have collaborated on a number of recent Grevy’s zebra conservation activities. These include the survey of northern Kenya, the collaring project, supplying six radio collars, and the stripe ID project, which is hosted at Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia thanks to Princeton’s close association there.

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B. Proposed Activities for 2015 - 2016

As you may note from the report above, Marwell has been consolidating the focus of work in Kenya based on long term activities that will produce the most effective results for the conservation of the remaining Grevy’s zebra population. In order to achieve the most with the funds we do raise through the EEP, we are limiting spending in new areas and fortify our efforts in our core activities of monitoring, evaluation, education and emergency conservation response. Our efforts, however, do continue to expand. Within these long term projects we have covered much new ground and been successful in raising funds to ensure the ongoing development of existing projects, studentships and collaborations. Several outstanding examples of this are available in the work of Lizbeth Mate, George Anyona, and Enrita Lesoloyia, working to demonstrate how their database and project management work are impacting Grevy’s zebra and the communities with whom they share the landscape and resources through local participation in monitoring and evaluation. Several of our students have completed their studies or will do so later this year. Having invested time and funds into bringing up this new Kenyan generation of conservationists, we are keen to ensure that we can retain the services of these individuals to make the most of their skills and experiences, while providing them with a future in wildlife conservation. To keep up the momentum in all of these initiatives, we present here a list of the projected funds we will need to maintain our, and the EEP’s, contribution to the conservation of the Grevy’s zebra in Kenya. 1. Grevy’s Zebra Collaring Collaring remains one of our most valuable tools in the monitoring of Grevy’s zebra populations, their connectivity, circadian activity and resource use. It allows us to follow individuals into otherwise inaccessible and previously unstudied areas. As mentioned in our report, the latest collars have once more found exciting and highly important data, providing us with information that will support targeted conservation. These collaring missions often require large teams and, as we move into more difficult landscape, the use of small planes for spotting and following Grevy’s zebra and eventually deploying the collars to the right individuals. We rely almost completely on the support from the EEP for this part of our work. Once again, our main funding requirement will be for the cost of deploying the collars, and, at times replacing old or defunct ones. This year we would like to purchase equipment to allow us to track our collared animals from the air using light aircraft. This will include a set of antennae, a receiver and some ancillary equipment like switch boxes and connecting cables as well.

Outputs

Budgets for the capture of study animals and the deployment of collars

Fine-scale monitoring data

Conservation planning documents

Community Development recommendations

Peer Reviewed Papers Conservation impact The project enables us to determine the importance of key resources (water, vegetation) and critical seasonal ranges for the entire Grevy’s zebra population. The data generated by this project underpin crucial conservation decisions at a national level. Furthermore, samples collected from the immobilised animals during collaring are being used to study disease epidemiology, genetic fitness, and relatedness among other issues. It is vital that we maintain this important work.

1. Grevy’s Zebra Collaring £

3 x GSM GPRS radio collars (£1200.00 ea) 3,600.00

Flying time (10 hours @ £220/hour) 2,200.00

2 x Zebra capture and immobilisation operations 2,400.00

Aerial Telemetry Equipment 1000.00

9,200.00

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2. National Photo ID Database for Grevy’s Zebra / Grevy’s zebra Rally

We have reported in Part A on the development of new methodologies for stripe ID data processing and clean up, namely IBEIS (Image Based Ecological Information System). IBEIS has been set up at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and training has been given to all parties involved. Since then we have entered and processed data spanning eight months into IBEIS to test it. We are very close to the point when IBEIS becomes a fully functioning tool for monitoring our Grevy’s zebra population. Once this is achieved, we are looking to carry out a dedicated national survey effort using the IBEIS stripe ID protocol in a participatory event using citizen science and collecting data using GPS enabled digital cameras. The effort is being branded “The Great Grevy’s Zebra Rally, Show us Your Stripes!”. The concept was successfully piloted on plains zebra and giraffe in Nairobi National Park (http://ibeis.org/wordpress/great-zebra-count-at-nairobi-national-park/). Our data base manager, Lizbeth Mate, will be a key member of this survey team. We plan to deploy a large-scale team in multiple key Grevy’s zebra locations on the same two days to undertake a capture / re-capture survey using digital photography and the stripe ID tool. It is anticipated that the National stripe ID count will take place in late January 2016, following the triennial aerial survey count for Grevy’s zebra in winter 2015. This will provide the first ever large-scale ground based census figures with which to validate the national population statistics for Grevy’s zebra. The Stripe ID project continues to be an extremely useful and evolving tool for all the participating organisations. We hope that the improvements being made to the software programs will increase its efficiency and the Grevy’s zebra will continue to benefit from this conservation effort. Given the large amount of data that it can handle and the increased frequency of getting relevant results, it will become the principle population management tool in Kenya over the next 12 months. Outputs

IBEIS tested and installed for all partners as principle management tool

Improved monitoring of GZ populations

Comparison of aerial and ground survey data

The first ever, scientifically ratified, sample estimate of the National Grevy’s zebra herd population size.

Conservation Impact The nationwide use of IBEIS will improve the monitoring of Grevy’s zebra populations’ health, allow the detection of dangerous trends early on and potentially help with the avoidance of human-wildlife conflict. The first ever ground based survey will lead to improved national surveys of the species, potentially improving count reliability and reducing cost.

2. National Photo ID Database for Grevy’s Zebra / Grevy’s zebra Rally £

Cost for participation of one team:

Flying for 1 aircraft: 20 hours @ £ 70 per hour 1,400.00

Vehicle Mileage for 1 vehicle: 1000Km (per vehicle @ £0.48/Km) 480.00

Field costs for counting crews (4 pax @ £15 per day - 2 days) 120.00

Transit days with travelling food (4 pax £ 7.5 per day - 2 days) 60.00

2,060.00

Ideally, we would have two Marwell teams participating in the Rally 4,120.00

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3. GZLO - Grevy’s Zebra Liaison Office Marwell is committed to maintaining KWS’s functionality in the Liaison Office for a number of reasons:, one of these is the fact that it has been influential in the national co-ordination of all species conservation programmes at KWS, since the model was replicated across all species offices, from Elephant to Large Carnivores, Giraffe and other antelope. The GZLO lead the field in establishing standards for the facilitation and, management of both state and NGO conservation activities for Kenya. Marwell, together with the assistance of the EEP is centrally responsible for making this happen, and as such we are committed to ensuring its future as a model for species management. While KWS has been quick to adopt the model of a conservation liaison office, and to incorporate these within the KWS organisational structure, they have been unable to sustain funding for the positions over the long term. The office was established in 2009, and incorporated into KWS in 2011. KWS still support the salary and station costs (Office), of the position but have been unsuccessful in maintaining any operational budgets for the officer to execute his duties off station and in the field. The GZLO is based in Nyeri, a town on the boundary of the Laikipia Plateau, and within the natural range of the Grevy’s zebra. However, the officer is required to make regular trips to Nairobi for administrative reasons and to facilitate the Grevy’s Zebra Technical Committee and Disease Response Committee. The officer is also needed in the field, in the north of Kenya for collaring, supplementary feeding, community liaison, and conservation planning and management activities. Without an operational budget the GZLO is tied to his desk and ineffective. Outputs

Multi-level GZTC Partner Liaison

GZTC co-ordination

GZTC WHIP

National strategy steering capacity

KWS oversight and permissions for field conservation activities

Minutes and action itemisation for all GZTC and DRC meetings

Document drafting, circulation and review co-ordination

Activity Reports

Funding Reports

Donor development and facilitation

Conservation impact Facilitation of the operation of the GZTC, the formation of National Conservation Strategy in Kenya and Ethiopia, the development of a Disease Response Committee pursuant to a National Disease Response Strategy and the development of facilities, systems and guidelines for species conservation.

3. GZLO - Grevy’s Zebra Liaison Office per annum £

Local Travel & Accommodation 1,680.00

Purchase of Stationery 240.00

Vehicle Running Expenses 1,260.00

Workshops, meetings & Conference 560.00

Mobile Phone airtime 120.00

3,860.00

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4. Grevy’s zebra and other wildlife conservation as a unifying factor - NKGZP Unlike many other places where Grevy’s zebra are found in Kenya including private land, community conservancies and national parks, the area around the South Horr Valley does not lend itself to formal protection of wildlife. It is a remote, arid, uncertain environment that is highly exploited by people and livestock, beset with security questions, an abundance of firearms and close to human communities that traditionally hunt Grevy’s zebra. However, we now have reason to believe this area could provide a vital link between the main remaining populations of Grevy’s zebra to the south and dispersed groups inhabiting the more arid north with potential connection to those in Ethiopia. The persistence of this species and other wildlife in this area is therefore classically dependent on continued coexistence with human activity and whether conservation strategies can bring benefits that match the needs and values of local pastoralists. As we have tried to engender through the project to date, conservation is most likely to succeed if initiated by people from the area following traditional means of community dialogue and engagement. We will therefore support ongoing efforts led by Enrita Lesoloyia as she has completed her studies on wildlife conservation and community development, and takes the next critical steps. Enrita’s ambition is to use her training and experience in conservation to promote peace between her Samburu people and the neighbouring Turkana tribe. The area this project operates in is often the scene of violent cattle raiding and retaliatory strikes. We support Enrita’s belief that wildlife and environment on which the pastoral communities all depend can be a unifying factor. To assist this process, we seek to employ a team of four ‘IlKirimats’ (Samburu word for ‘caretakers’) to extend the ‘listening and understanding’ brief regarding wildlife conflict, inter-community tensions and resource scarcity. Community Elders will be consulted about the idea and how recruitment should work, while this empathetic role is one best suited to women in these communities. IlKirimats will be taught how to collect human environmental footprint data, trained in the use of data recording equipment and assist with the deployment and management of additional camera traps. Outputs

Four IlKirimats (caretakers) employed and trained in data collection

Quantify impacts of human activities on Grevy’s zebra

Tangible benefits accruing to local communities through the conservation process

Improved security for people and wildlife alike Conservation Impact Ultimately, a reduction of human conflicts in the area as well as human-wildlife conflict, should lead to increases in the abundance of Grevy’s zebra, and enhanced diversity of other species will provide a meaningful measure of biological success and ecosystem health over the longer term.

4. Grevy’s zebra conservation as a unifying factor - NKGZP £

Kenyan Project Manager (Enrita Lesoloyia) £600 per month 7,200.00

Field expenses and transport (£ 450/month) 5,400.00

laptop 320.00

camera/video camera 320.00

Projector 250.00

Stationary for school visits & community meetings 530.00

100 x printed shukas (African blankets worn by warriors) 630.00

100 x printed T shirts 630.00

200 x printed caps (shukas/T shirt/ caps for community training and discussion workshops)

600.00

Honda generator 350.00

16,230.00

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5. Camera trap survey and mapping - NKGZP

The population of Grevy’s zebra in our study area (NKGZP) is relatively small with a demographic profile that, at face value, gives cause for concern. However, GPS/GSM data suggests they are not entirely isolated, and we expect to learn more about how Grevy’s zebra exploit resources and move between desert, savannah and mountain foothills which may be critical to their survival and maintaining a viable population. This will be new information in the movement and corridor mapping work we are already doing and we are very eager to flesh out the role played by this remote area in the survival of the species. The collars deployed at South Horr are part of a wider, study of Grevy’s zebra spatial ecology across their entire range. To gain a more accurate understanding of Grevy’s zebra population size and structure, including the recruitment and survival of foals in the study area, a more rigorous camera trap grid survey will be established using 20 camera traps. This will allow repeated capture-recapture estimates to be made on Grevy’s zebra and other wildlife populations. We will also quantify and map human settlements, livestock distribution and density to allow statistical inferences to be made about impact on Grevy’s zebra population and distribution. George Anyona will be in the field regularly collecting the image data and managing the scouts. Outputs

Comprehensive data on Grevy’s zebra population size and structure in South Horr

Records of other wildlife in the Milgis system

Maps of human settlements, livestock distribution and density Conservation Impact The results of the survey and mapping will allow us to identify and respond to the impact of human presence and activities on the Grevy’s zebra population and distribution as well as on other wildlife in the area.

5. Camera trap survey and mapping- Field costs Northern Kenya Grevy's Zebra Project

£

George salary field work (5 days a month @ £ 50/day) 3,000.00

field expenses and transport (£ 550/month) 6,600.00

9,600.00

6. Drought Emergency Fund

Droughts are becoming a more frequent and, potentially, annual event with rains regularly failing in either the short or long rainy season in Grevy’s zebra rangelands. In severe droughts the rains have failed for more than one year and in all seasons consecutively. We have seen in recent years how the supply of extra feed can make a considerable difference to the Grevy’s zebra, in particular the recruitment of the next generation. It is known that the distance Grevy’s zebra are travelling between water and grazing is significant – an average of 20Km. This can be further increased during drought conditions and has an impact on lactating females and their foals. The GZT have already done a water assessment and are actively managing three water points, and Marwell have implemented a community and wildlife water scheme in the foothills of the Ndoto mountains as well. Water availability is not the only problem as lack of pasture severely exacerbates survival issues for the species. Funding for interventions like supplementary feeding is usually required during existing crises based on unpredictable conditions. For this reason Marwell retains an emergency fund out of EEP donations to enable us to contribute to such crises rapidly and a transfer of monies to cover the initial phase of supplementary feeding can be arranged without any delay. This buys our colleagues on the ground some time to apply for further funding from other sources.

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To prevent any future delays and minimise loss of Grevy’s zebra, Marwell is now holding the above mentioned emergency funding resource. Some donations, which are not specifically earmarked and restricted to a particular project, will be held in this fund, no matter how small – so please consider your contribution vital to our readiness!

Conservation Impact Increased survival of the next generation of Grevy’s zebra as lactating females don’t have to make arduous and over lengthy trips between water and grazing.

6. Drought Emergency Fund £

Provision of supplementary feed -hay & monitoring (pot. annually) 2,000.00

2,000.00

7. Grevy’s zebra annual Research & Conservation Conference The Grevy’s zebra Research & Conservation Conference is an annual event that brings together all the members of the Grevy’s zebra Technical Committee and many stakeholders of Grevy’s zebra conservation. Invited guests are offered the opportunity to present their year’s work and findings. In the past, this has been held at KWS Head Quarters in Nairobi, but the GZTC has now suggested holding this meeting closer to GZ populations as it will allow community members, Grevy’s zebra scouts and other relevant parties to take part. Lewa Wildlife Conservancy have very kindly offered their venue for this first “in the field” conference. If this is a success and above mentioned stakeholders take the opportunity to join in, we are hoping that Lewa will continue to be the host for future years. Outputs

Multi-level stakeholder liaison

Formal and informal information exchange

Drafting and distribution of documents

Increased cooperation and participation of communities Conservation impact Including all stakeholders in this annual exchange of relevant work and outcomes, brings a sense of community and inspires an increased feeling of ownership over the wildlife as well as participation of communities in cooperation with and participation in conservation initiatives. This leads to a reduction in human-wildlife conflicts and greater protection for Grevy’s zebra and other wildlife.

7. Grevy's Zebra Research & Conservation Conference £ Meals for 50 participants including drinking water for one day @ KES 1400 per person

435.00

Transport cost to Lewa W C and from Lewa to 20 community members and Community conservancy members within Samburu and Laikipia @ KES 2000 per participant

250.00

Accommodation cost in Lewa W C for one night for 20 community members on the night to the day of GZ Conference @ KES 10,000 (This caters for the whole group)

62.00

Meals for the 20 community members during their night stay at Lewa @ KES 500 per person

62.00

Notebooks and pens for 50 participants @ KShs 100 per person 30.00

Stationery (Printing papers and cartridges) 62.00

Facilitation for the retreat to write the report on the conference proceedings for 4 persons for 2 days.

320.00

1,221.00

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Summary of funding proposal Grevy’s zebra conservation 2015/16

1. Grevy’s Zebra Collaring £

3 x GSM GPRS radio collars (£1200.00 ea) 3,600.00

Flying time (10 hours @ £220/hour) 2,200.00

2 x Zebra capture and immobilisation operations 2,400.00

Aerial Telemetry Equipment 1,000.00

9,200.00

2. National Photo ID Database for Grevy’s Zebra / Grevy’s zebra Rally £

Cost for participation of one team: Flying for 1 aircraft: 20 hours @ £ 70 max per hour 1,400.00

Vehicle Mileage for 1 vehicle: 1000Km (per vehicle @ £0.48/Km) 480.00

Field costs for counting crews (4 pax @ £15 per day - 2 days) 120.00

Transit days with travelling food (4 pax £ 7.5 per day - 2 days) 60.00

2,060.00

Ideally, we would have two Marwell teams participate --> 4,120.00

3. Grevy’s Zebra Liaison Office facilitation per annum £

Local Travel & Accommodation 1,680.00

Purchase of Stationery 240.00

Vehicle Running Expenses 1,260.00

Workshops, meetings & Conference 560.00

Mobile Phone airtime 120.00

3,860.00

4. Grevy’s zebra conservation as a unifying factor - NKGZP £

Kenyan Project Manager (Enrita Lesoloyia) £600 per month 7,200.00

Field expenses and transport (£ 450/month) 5,400.00

laptop 320.00

camera/video camera 320.00

Projector 250.00

Stationary for school visits & community meetings 530.00

100 x printed shukas (African blankets worn by warriors) 630.00

100 x printed T shirts 630.00

200 x printed caps (shukas/T shirt/ caps for community training and discussion workshops)

600.00

Honda generator 350.00

16,230.00

5. Camera trap survey and mapping- Field costs Northern Kenya Grevy's Zebra Project

£

George salary field work (5 days a month @ £ 50/day) 3,000.00

Field expenses and transport (£ 550/month) 6,600.00

9,600.00

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6. Drought Emergency Fund £

Provision of supplementary feed -hay & monitoring (pot. annually) 2,000.00

2,000.00

7. Grevy's Zebra Research & Conservation Conference £

Lunch for 50 participants @KES 1400 per person 435.00

Transport cost to/from Lewa x 20 @ KES 2000 per head 250.00

Accommodation cost for 20 community members for one night @ KES 10,000 65.00

Dinner for 20 community members at Lewa @ KES 500 per person 65.00

Notebooks/pens for 50 participants @ KES 100 per person 30.00

Stationery (Printing papers and cartridges) 65.00

Facilitation writing of conference proceedings for 4 persons for 2 days. 320.00

1,230.00

Overall Total 44,180.00