Project Length – 12 months 

Problem Statement 

Lamu Archipelago has long been known as a sea turtle nesting, foraging and migratory site. Kizingoni beach has offered a prime environment for Hawksbill and Green Turtles to nest. 

However, the beach has been under threat for some years as nesting numbers and turtle sitings have decreased. This poses significant risks for the survival of these endangered species. Human activities, especially the increased plastic pollution has taken a toll as plastic debris can be seen piling up on the beach due to the strong Indian Ocean tides. It’s believed that excessive plastic pollution can disrupt nesting behaviours of mature turtles, increase the temperature of nests that can affect egg maturation, and pose direct threats to sea turtle hatchlings as their route to sea can be blocked by waste. 

Project Summary 

This project will revitalise turtle conservation activities on Kizingoni beach by training and employing full time rangers, cleaning the beach which we hope will increase turtle nesting numbers, and engaging with community members to raise awareness about the importance of sea turtles in the environment. 

The project will support Lamu Marine Conservation Trust (LAMCOT) to amplify their impact and tackle turtle conservation issues more effectively on that side of the island where funds have been lacking to support all the above activities.  

Objective/s 

To clean Kizingoni beach of plastic debris and increase turtle monitoring efforts to see an increase in turtle nesting and siting activity. 

Activities 

This project will deliver the following activities: 

1. Clean the beach 6km from Kizinogoni towards Shela thus ensuring the entire 12km beach is cleaned. 

1. Hire and train 3 new turtle rangers. Rangers will be responsible for scouting for turtle nests, logging their location, leading rescue and tagging activities and any potential nest relocations; 

1. Raising awareness among the fishing community so that they become turtle protectors (rather than poachers); 

1. Increased turtle tagging to track turtle numbers and feed into a national database; 

1. Create knowledge sharing opportunities between fishers, askari and rangers to create a holistic portrait of turtle activities in Kipungani; 

1. Educating and creating awareness about the marine environment and how it affects their daily (and future) lives – with school children and community members. 

About the Organisation 

The Lamu Marine Conservation Trust is a registered Community Based Organisation (CBO) based in the Lamu Archipelago. Conservation of turtles kickstarted the organisation and remains at the heart of their mission but over the years LAMCOT has expanded to encompass a number of projects from environmental education, community development, community coral conservancies, eco-tourism, income generating activities, and waste management. LAMCOTis a community run organisation and it is vital that the community members feel ownership for the success of our activities. 

See LAMCOTs Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/lamcot_lamu/