CONSERVATION
At the heart of everything we do is the mission to protect our eco-system. This extends beyond the many species of endangered and endemic wildlife to the water it provides, the vegetation that plays a crucial role in controlling climate change, the sanctity of its scenery and the history that lies within its very soil.
Due to its unique topography, Mukutan encompasses several different habitats and ecosystems, spanning from 2,000 feet to 6,500 feet ASL. It is a biodiversity oasis of outstanding environmental and educational value for Kenya and the planet, including elephant, lion, melanistic leopard, wild dog, and over 478 species of birds.
Mukutan is a success story in regeneration, over the last 50 years of careful stewardship, Mukutan's vegetation has flourished, the forest cover has increased and the water table has risen, providing critical habitat for many endangered and endemic species.
Mukutan is a water tower for the World Heritage Lakes of Bogoria and Baringo and for thousands of people who live near it. It is a critical wildlife corridor that links the wildlife-dense ares of Laikipia to the vast landscapes and community owned conservancies of Baringo.
“What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the beasts, soon happens to man. All things are connected.”
Chief Seattle of the Nez Perce, 1884
BIODIVERSITY
Due to its unique topography, which spans from 2,000 feet to 6,500 feet ASL, Mukutan encompasses several different habitats and ecosystems. It is a refuge to a wide variety of plant and animal species. Including elephant, lion, melanistic leopard, colobus monkeys, cape buffalo, wild dogs and over 478 bird species, over 40 of which are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) endangered list. The conservancy has been classified as a Key Biodiversity Area (Ke064) and an Important Bird Area (Ke064) and is part of the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot.
Here you will find the last remaining stand of the indigenous cedar forest, that up until 40 years ago spanned large areas of the plateau. The conservancy is a refuge where several endemic, rare, and threatened species of plants and animals survive. Due to careful protection of the environment for more than a generation, it is a biodiversity oasis of outstanding environmental and educational value for Kenya and the planet.
REFORESTATION
AND REDD+
Mukutan has been described as ‘the most botanically varied non-forested area in East Africa’ (T.P Young, 1991). Due to its unique topography and micro-climate conditions on the edge of the Laikipia Escarpment, Mukutan is home to several different ecosystems and habitats. From the verdant, tropical palm and liana studded valleys of the Mukutan Gorge, to the cool highland Engelesha forest of cedar, warburgia and Acacia abyssinica, Mukutan is a treasure trove for botanists and several species have been described here.
Mukutan has undertaken a feasibility study for a Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) project, which indicates immense potential and a full project is currently in development. The Mukutan REDD+ project will provide a sustainable long-term revenue stream for the Conservancy and develop new community and environmental projects aimed at safeguarding biodiversity. By channelling a substantial portion of proceeds from the REDD+ project into a community fund the project will provide a direct conceptual link between the protection of biodiversity and an income for communities.
Mukutan has developed an indigenous tree nursery which has provided seedlings to community members and schools and for reforestation activities since 1985. So far more than 6 million trees have been planted.
ARCHAEOLOGY
Orrorin Tugenensis - or the “Millennium Man” - was found in 2000 in the Tugen Hills in the Great Rift Valley, within sight of Mukutan. Signs of early settlements, tools, burial grounds and standing monoliths have been found within the Conservancy as well. Mesolithic, Paleolithic and Neolithic sites recently discovered here witness a continuous early man presence from the Early Stone Age to the New Stone Age up to the most recent Nilotic pastoralist settlements.
Observed for the first time by Dr. Richard Leakey in the early ’80s, and examined by his mother Mary Leakey, explored by the National Museums of Kenya archaeologists, The University of Pennsylvania, Spanish Archaeologist Ana Pinto (Research Fellow at the Spanish Research High Council CSIC), and in 2014 by the Cambridge University team of Professor Robert Fowley and Dr. Marta Verizon Lahr, Mukutan archaeological sites hold much promise for future excavations.
RANGERS
Our security team is the backbone to all of our operations, programs, and our ultimate success as a conservancy. The security of the conservancy is dependent on creating a delicate balance between community education and involvement, and a response force that can both anticipate and react to threats. Our incredible team of rangers patrol the conservancy day and night, monitoring the well-being and safety of our wildlife as well as protecting our neighbours from human-wildlife conflict. Our ranger team has been trained by experts in tracking, bush skills, first aid, and tactical, intelligence-led operations, and includes a canine team for rapid response to poaching or other security incidents. The rangers use the Earth Ranger system to record and monitor all wildlife data as well as incident reporting.
Our rangers are true heroes, braving challenging conditions and putting their lives on the line for conservation. Your support can make a significant difference in their work.
Consider contributing to our Ranger Support Fund to provide them with the necessary equipment and resources to carry out their vital tasks effectively:
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$50: Supply a ranger with a pair of durable boots, a crucial tool for their fieldwork.
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$100: Provide a high-quality torch for rangers, ensuring visibility during nighttime patrols.
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$500: Support the purchase of a ranger's uniform, a symbol of their commitment and professionalism or equip a ranger with a reliable tent, offering them shelter during extended field operations.
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$1,000: Help provide a ranger with a reliable radio communication device, enabling seamless coordination and emergency response.
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$3,000: Contribute to the life and accident insurance coverage for our dedicated rangers, ensuring their well-being and peace of mind.
Note: The mentioned donation tiers are for illustrative purposes and can be adjusted based on your specific goals and financial considerations.
The conservancy is a living laboratory, holding an essential space in a complex landscape to explore the web of life. Over the past decades, dozens of researchers and scientists have spent time in residence working on projects or PhDs in the fields of ecology, hydrology, geology, anthropology and others, and we have dedicated housing for hosting short- and long-term research programmes.
In addition to providing critical insight into our conservation methodology, these programmes have resulted in exciting discoveries of species previously undescribed to science, including a succulent plant (Aloe francombei), a butterfly (Aslauga gallmannae) , and a frog (Tomopterna gallmanni), discovered by Victor Wasonga of the National Museums of Kenya.