The plains of Africa are filled with zebras, their distinctive coats forming a sea of black and white across the continent’s landscapes. But in dry northern Kenya the unique Grevy’s zebra makes its home, and just over 3,000 of these special animals remain.
The Grevy’s is quickly distinguishable from its plains and mountain zebra counterparts due to its charming large round ears, and because it is tailor-made for the semi-arid climate where it lives. This zebra can survive for five days without water. However, even the hardy Grevy’s now struggles to live on land that has been overgrazed by livestock belonging to the local pastoralist communities. With drought always just a whisper away, the female Grevy’s zebra increasingly must leave her foal behind while looking for water. This increased search for water has amplified mortality rates, in turn leading to a dwindling population size. Grevy’s Zebra Trust (GZT) engages local people to protect the remaining Grevy’s zebra and their habitat. GZT’s work is rooted in local values, capacity, and action.
The survival of Grevy’s zebra and people’s livelihoods are inextricably linked. They rely on the same habitat.Belinda Low
Belinda Mackey says that being in the presence of wildlife has the unique effect of making her feel both alive and peaceful at the same time. Growing up in Kenya, Belinda was able to spend time with wildlife, but left her home country to teach English in Bolivia after earning a university degree in Spanish. She wanted to change careers to work with wildlife, and applied to a masters program in conservation biology despite having none of the right qualifications. She was accepted and after gaining a distinction in her studies, returned to Kenya to begin her work with Grevy’s zebra. She founded GZT to work with local people on conservation across the Grevy’s range in Kenya.
Restoring Habitat
Reducing Conflict
Scientific Research
Expanding Education
Empowering Women
Boosting Local Economies
Guiding Policy
Promoting Health
Honoring Culture
GZT builds on traditional livestock management methods used by pastoralists to address the root cause of land degradation in northern Kenya. Loss of grazing habitat is a major threat to Grevy’s zebra. By planning livestock herding, setting aside areas for dry and wet season grazing, giving grass recovery time, clearing invasive species, and reseeding bare land, livestock can be transformed into an eco-tool.
Grevy’s Zebra Ambassadors employs community members to exchange conservation knowledge and recommendations at local community meetings. To support the Ambassadors, GZT also established a conservation council of elders, warriors, and women from the Samburu and Turkana ethnic groups that have been trained in conflict transformation, guiding their communities on peace, law enforcement, and grazing management.
GZT’s Research and Monitoring Program gathers data from sightings, camera traps, spoor samples. They then geo-reference that data with GPS units to monitor Grevy’s zebra numbers, age structure, and habitat quality using the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) and CyberTracker tools. Their data collection system is visual, which allows non-literate members of the community the chance to be employed and inform conservation decisions and solutions.
GZT provides Grevy’s Zebra Scholarships to further the secondary school education of young boys and girls from the pastoral communities of northern Kenya. These communities are often economically marginalized, so support of children’s education is highly valued. Education builds the capacity of the future generation and is a major catalyst in changing attitudes towards wildlife.
GZT employs female Grevy’s Zebra Scouts, many of whom are widows and single mothers, to monitor and protect zebras, helping provide medical care and education for their families. In addition, GZT’s reusable sanitary pad program, the Nkirreten Project, helps women produce and distribute reusable sanitary pads throughout the community, keeping girls in school during their menstrual cycle, and providing an income to the women making the pads.
As the next generation of leaders, engaging Samburu warriors in conservation is critical for long-term success. GZT employs Samburu Warriors to monitor wildlife, raise awareness, and provide protection. Their outreach to communities has created a large network of local support through which conservation messaging is disseminated and practical conservation action is implemented.
Taking a collaborative approach, the Grevy’s Zebra Trust works with Ewaso Lions to safeguard wildlife corridors that are due to face major impacts of development projects cutting across the region over the next decade. GZT ensures community participation in decision making as the infrastructure is designed, and mitigates the ecosystem impacts of the infrastructure projects.
While GZT’s Nkirreten project usually provides women with reusable sanitary pads to manage their cycles in a healthy way, their team immediately pivoted to making face masks as part of the response to COVID-19 in 2020. GZT’s Nkirreten team produced and distributed thousands of face masks to protect their community from the virus, providing practical demonstrations on how to properly wear the masks.
The Zebra People initiative is a touring art experience, launched at an exhibition at the National Museum of Kenya, and proudly attended by the whole team of Grevy’s Zebra Warriors. The Samburu and Rendille Grevy’s Zebra Warriors took many of the photographs featured in the exhibition, providing the public a glimpse into their lives, and raising the profile of Grevy’s zebra both locally and globally.
Restoring Habitat
GZT builds on traditional livestock management methods used by pastoralists to address the root cause of land degradation in northern Kenya. Loss of grazing habitat is a major threat to Grevy’s zebra. By planning livestock herding, setting aside areas for dry and wet season grazing, giving grass recovery time, clearing invasive species, and reseeding bare land, livestock can be transformed into an eco-tool.
Reducing Conflict
Grevy’s Zebra Ambassadors employs community members to exchange conservation knowledge and recommendations at local community meetings. To support the Ambassadors, GZT also established a conservation council of elders, warriors, and women from the Samburu and Turkana ethnic groups that have been trained in conflict transformation, guiding their communities on peace, law enforcement, and grazing management.
Scientific Research
GZT’s Research and Monitoring Program gathers data from sightings, camera traps, spoor samples. They then geo-reference that data with GPS units to monitor Grevy’s zebra numbers, age structure, and habitat quality using the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) and CyberTracker tools. Their data collection system is visual, which allows non-literate members of the community the chance to be employed and inform conservation decisions and solutions.
Expanding Education
GZT provides Grevy’s Zebra Scholarships to further the secondary school education of young boys and girls from the pastoral communities of northern Kenya. These communities are often economically marginalized, so support of children’s education is highly valued. Education builds the capacity of the future generation and is a major catalyst in changing attitudes towards wildlife.
Empowering Women
GZT employs female Grevy’s Zebra Scouts, many of whom are widows and single mothers, to monitor and protect zebras, helping provide medical care and education for their families. In addition, GZT’s reusable sanitary pad program, the Nkirreten Project, helps women produce and distribute reusable sanitary pads throughout the community, keeping girls in school during their menstrual cycle, and providing an income to the women making the pads.
Boosting Local Economies
As the next generation of leaders, engaging Samburu warriors in conservation is critical for long-term success. GZT employs Samburu Warriors to monitor wildlife, raise awareness, and provide protection. Their outreach to communities has created a large network of local support through which conservation messaging is disseminated and practical conservation action is implemented.
Guiding Policy
Taking a collaborative approach, the Grevy’s Zebra Trust works with Ewaso Lions to safeguard wildlife corridors that are due to face major impacts of development projects cutting across the region over the next decade. GZT ensures community participation in decision making as the infrastructure is designed, and mitigates the ecosystem impacts of the infrastructure projects.
Promoting Health
While GZT’s Nkirreten project usually provides women with reusable sanitary pads to manage their cycles in a healthy way, their team immediately pivoted to making face masks as part of the response to COVID-19 in 2020. GZT’s Nkirreten team produced and distributed thousands of face masks to protect their community from the virus, providing practical demonstrations on how to properly wear the masks.
Honoring Culture
The Zebra People initiative is a touring art experience, launched at an exhibition at the National Museum of Kenya, and proudly attended by the whole team of Grevy’s Zebra Warriors. The Samburu and Rendille Grevy’s Zebra Warriors took many of the photographs featured in the exhibition, providing the public a glimpse into their lives, and raising the profile of Grevy’s zebra both locally and globally.
$150 will fund a school visit to engage children in conservation education to foster positive attitudes towards wildlife in the next generation.
$5,000 will restore 125 acres of bare land back to productive grassland for Grevy’s zebra.
A donation of any amount will support the Grevy’s Zebra Scouts, who are local women paid to monitor the zebra herds.
