All employees received theoretical and practical training on sea turtle conservation practices prior to the initiation of foot and drone patrols. Training covered sea turtle biology, patrol protocols and tagging of turtles, followed by practical training on the use of GPS, track identification, turtle tagging, nest relocation and excavation. Continuous practical training was conducted throughout the season during patrols targeted at the employee’s experience. Those in positions such as team leader were also given continuous support and training to improve on their leadership skills.

Communication played a key role in the success of this project. KWCA held a number of virtual meetings from the planning stages to the assessment stage. The choice for virtual meetings was necessitated by the covid-19 pandemic and the associated government measures to control its spread including  country lock down thereby disrupting mobility and physical meetings. Some of the virtual calls included planning meetings, inception meeting with the conservancy members to enhance a shared understanding of the project scope and manage stakeholder expectation. Virtual meetings were also held to create awareness of SAGE to the key stakeholders, and to also collaboratively map out the conservancy stakeholders.

The lead consultant, with support from the assistant facilitators, spearheaded the translation of the SAGE principles and questions to the local language for wider uptake especially by the stakeholders who were only proficient in the local language.

Rangers are trained on the use of new SMART technology used to record patrol data. It is crucial to have well trained and equipped ranger teams to collect accurate data during their patrols.

SAGE is a relatively new tool for assessment of governance and equity in Kenya. The success of the deployment therefore depends on the stakeholders' understanding of the tool, its scope and application. KWCA recruited a trained and certified lead SAGE facilitator who spearheaded awareness creation about the tool to key stakeholders including KWCA, the managers of the two conservancies, and the Landscape Association representatives.  

The SAGE tool provides for the recruitment of assistant facilitators to support in SAGE facilitation and note taking. A total of 22 co-facilitators and note takers were recruited, trained and deployed to support the assessment and the synthesis workshop. Their training focused on understanding the SAGE tool, the various principles and the questions as well as basic facilitation skills. 

Issues of poisoning are sometimes sensitive and people might be reluctant to share much-needed information. To gain their trust, the implementer approached the local government authority and signed a Memorandum of Understanding which enables us to work in the area. Another engagement meeting was done with the local leadership (chiefs, headman) to discuss our intention in the area as a conservation organization. These steps increased our transparency as an honest organization. Building on these strong relations and trust with local communities is essential to ensure that they share such information.

The consultant utilized the data gathered to update the 2015 plan as part of the building block for C-CAM’s financial sustainability resilience programme. This included updating the existing plan with recommendations focused on gaps in the plan as well as feedback from team members and others. The new COVID19 impact also factored into the plan and a focus on building resiliency to that and potential future shocks. The development of the plan was participatory to ensure that team members who would be implementing understood their roles and had input in determining what those roles would entail. The plan was developed to be user-friendly, practical, realistic, and achievable.

Since inception in 1982 we have built strong relationships with local communities, conservation NGOs, Ministry of Environment, forestry & Tourism and Traditional leaders in the rhino landscape. 

Our work benefits the local communities through the creation of job opportunities as trackers and rhino rangers. By creating a healthy environment for rhino population growth, we have enabled custodian conservancies to sign agreements with tourism partners, this creates job opportunities in the community and additional income for the conservancies as tourism is the highest income generating industry for the majority of these conservancies.

The consultant conducted a desk survey which included reviewing the existing C-CAM funding plan prepared in 2015 looking at the gaps, especially in light of the impacts of COVID-19; looking at similar organizations to see what mechanisms they have in place; focusing on the practicality of the implementation actions suggested in the plan to determine if the goals were achievable or realistic and what would be needed to make them more so as well as if the actions would achieve those goals. The consultant also had to look at what had changed since 2015 and consider what prevented the implementation of the plan at a more practical level

The SAGE Assessment is a participatory process involving all the key stakeholders of the conservancy.  Identification of stakeholders was carried out at the planning phase of the assessment. This stakeholder mapping was spearheaded by the SAGE consultant and involved Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA), Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA landscape level Association working within Tsavo Landscape) and Amboseli Ecosystem Trust (KWCA Landscape level Association working within Amboseli Landscape). The following stakeholder groups were identified and invited for the assessment workshops: Conservancy management, Conservancy Investors, Youth, Men, Women and Board.  The  assessments were attended by a total of 99 participants.

Each assessment was followed by a synthesis workshop where each group selected two to three representatives to attend the synthesis workshop. The findings of the assessment workshops were presented at the synthesis workshop and ideas for action were discussed. A total of 46 stakeholders from two conservancies attended the synthesis workshop.

The engagement of all relevant stakeholders in the SAGE ensures that stakeholders are all heard and invested in the actions that they collectively decide on. 

Dogs have a highly developed sense of smell that enables them to locate hidden objects and follow traces of odorous objects. Thanks to their excellent ability to perceive acoustic and olfactory impressions, they are the ideal complement to humans in detecting difficult-to-see situations despite the darkness. Because of this profile, conservation dogs can provide valuable services in tracking and tracing poachers, for example. Dogs are also increasingly used for research, surveillance and protection purposes on sea turtle nesting beaches.

The training of the dog handlers and the conservation dogs is done by an expert dog trainer. The dog trainer spends at least 6 weeks per year on the project side and accompanies the team with online trainings.

The dogs' most important task is to search larger areas during beach patrols in order to detect unauthorised persons. Furthermore, they are specially trained to detect turtle meat and are able to find it in travellers' luggage at ports and airports, as well as in houses and cars. The dogs are also trained in mantrailing. This means that they are able to follow poachers who have left objects such as clothing, knives or ropes at the scene of a crime to which their scent adheres. This supports the local law enforcement authorities to track and prosecute poachers.