A guide to the Wildlife and Natural History of the Taita Hills

Lawrence Wagura, who has been one of our field assistants and collaborators for long time, has just published a new guide to the Natural History of the Taita hills. Printing of the initial copies of the book was supported by BirdLife Africa Partnership Secretariat and Nature Kenya (BirdLife Partner) as part of a project funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).

This is the first published guide for this important site. In simple language, backed up by colourful pictures, Lawrence comprehensively describes the site: he includes, among other topics, its history, geography, value, indigenous culture, and various types of plants and animals found there.
The book is not only useful for visitors and researchers; Lawrence also intends to use it as a tool for educating the youth and other residents of the Taita Hills on the value of conserving the site.

“With support from teachers, I have already been giving talks in schools in the area and I often take students for educational trips to the forests. I will now distribute free copies of the book to the schools, and in future use them for my educational talks”, says Lawrence. Lawrence hopes that the book will also encourage tourists who venture into the lower Tsavo plains and other areas to include a visit to the Taita. The booklet is now available for sale at Nature Kenya's offices in Nairobi and will of course also be distributed in the Taita Hills.

The Small Field Guides to the East African Wildlife

One of the main problems for the conservation of African wildlife is that many Africans do not have access to books that could help them to identify the species of plants and animals that are found near their villages. This means that many villagers and school students know very little or nothing about the environment. And of course, nobody is interested to conserve something that he or she does not know.
Working in Kenya, I often noticed that local people have a keen desire to learn more about wildlife. For this reason, I began to write a series of "Small Field Guides" that contain information and photos of the commonest animals and plants. Each field guide is focused on a specific area where I have worked, and whose wildlife I know well.
Each Small Field Guide can be printed cheaply or photocopied, and then distributed to the schools or to people who have an interest in wildlife. They can also be of interest to tourists.

Please contact me to obtain copies.