Kenya National Commission for Unesco Kenya Man And

KENYA NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO

KENYA MAN AND THE BIOSPHERE NATIONAL COMMITTEE

NATIONAL REPORT

2014 - 2015

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report was prepared by the Kenya National Man and Biosphere Committee. The mebershp of the National Committee is drawn from organizations dealing with issues related to the main themes of the Man and Biosphere(MAB) programme. The mebershp consists of the Chair, Dr. Paul Makenzi from Egerton University, Department of Environmental Sciences, the Vice Chair, Dr. James Njogu (Kenya Wildlife Service). The other members are Mr. James Mwang’ombe (Kenya Forest Service), Mr. Boniface Wanyama (National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation) and Mr. Wilson Busienei (National Environment Management Authority). The Kenya National MAB Committee has its secretariat at the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO in the Natural Sciences programme and has been handled by Albert Ingati, the Natural Sciences programmes officer. In the period under review, the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO has made tremendous achievements. These include facilitating a number of capacity buldng programmes, Periodic review of three biosphere reserves (Malindi - Watamu, Kiunga, and Mt. Kenya). The Commission has also facilitated committee members to attend meetings, including the International Coordinating Council of MAB meeting.

For the future, the Kenya MAB National Committee proposes to initiate the nomination of at least two more Biosphere Reserves

Specal thanks go to the Kenya Natonal Commission for UNESCO Secretary General/CEO Dr. E. Njoka. The Kenya National MAB Committee proposes to nominate at least two more Biosphere Reserves in the next five years. vangeline Njoka for ensuring that resources are allocated to the activities of Kenya MAB.

2.0 KENYA- MAB NATIONAL COMMITTEE The Kenya MAB National Committee handles all matters related to the MAN and Biosphere Programme. The Committee draws its membership from the following organizations:  Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)  Kenya Forest Service (KFS)  National Environment Management Authority (NEMA)  National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOST)  Non-governmental organizations dealing with environmental issues  National Universities hosting departments with domains on environmental issues and climate change.

The Kenya National MAB Committee is active and has been involved in MAB program activities in line with the provisions of the Seville Strategy and Madrid Action Plan (MAP). It handles issues related to conservation, education and development in Kenya’s Biosphere Reserves.

3.0 KENYA’S BIOSPHERE RESERVES Kenya has six UNESCO designated Biosphere Reserves, approved by the UNESCO – MAB Bureau, namely;  Amboseli  Mt. Elgon  Malindi-Watamu  Mt. Kenya  Kiunga  Mt. Kulal The Kenya National MAB Committee proposes to nominate at least two more Biosphere Reserves in the next five years.

The Laikipia Nature Conservancy has proposed to partner with Kenya MAB- NATCOM to undertake a nomination of a new BR by the name Ol Ari Nyiro BR. Kenya MAB-NATCOM has assented their proposal and the exercise is to start as soon as the resources are available.

4.0 DETAILS ON KENYA’S BIOSPHERE RESERVES 4.1 AMBOSELI BIOSPHERE RESERVE  The Amboseli ecosystem is known worldwide as one of Kenya’s greatest conservation areas and is recognized as a landscape where humans, livestock, and wildlife have co-existed for centuries. It was given the status of a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO I 1991 so as to ensure the long-term conservation of biodiversity, which was under serious threat from the changing land use patterns.  Amboseli National Park is located in Rift Valley Province, Loitokitok District, Kenya. It lies between latitude 2033’ and 2045’S and longitude 37006 AND 37024’E. It is on the border with Tanzania, north – west of Kilimanjaro, west of the volcanic Chyulu Hills and east of Namanga (OldonyoOrok) hill.  The Amboseli National Park is a remnant of the greater Southern Game Reserve which was established in 1906. It used to be part of what currently is the Tsavo west national park. In 1948, through a Government Gazette Notice (no. 1233), 326,000ha were established as national reserve and administered by the Nation al Park Trustees. Through the by-laws of 14 June 1961, the African District Council of Kajiado established this area as a county council game reserve, administered by Kajiado county council. A presidential degree, issued in 1971, declared that the area be set aside exclusively foer use by wildlife and tourists.  Subsequently, by the government notice No. 264 of 1972, it set apart the area for national park purposes. On 1st November 1974, national park status was given to a 39,206ha area by legal notice No. 276, and in March

1991, Amboseli National Park and some of the surrounding region was designated by the UNESCO – MAB Bureau as a Biosphere Reserve (BR).  Amboseli National Park forms the core zone of the Amboseli biosphere reserve. The core area of the BR, which is the national park covers 39,206ha, the buffer zone is 244,000ha and the transition area 2000,000ha.  The Amboseli BR is functioning as expected, according to the Madrid Action Plan. There is conservation of wildlife species within the core zone. The development function in the buffer zone include group ranches, tourism and hotel industry while the research in core zone include long term studies including an ecological monitoring programme; baboon and elephant researches. The wildlife population is healthy and is a major attraction to tourism and potential income generation to the community.  Threats include: Permanent Settlement; unplanned development, fragmentation of land, competition for water and grazing; hunting for meat, and degradation of the wetlands. Other challenges include: Blockage of Migration corridors.  There is need to consider multiple core zones in this unique BR. Data on the hydrology of the Amboseli – Kilimanjaro ecosystem complex is urgently required.  The sustainable management of Amboseli – Kilimanjaro ecosystem complex is crucial to the sustainability of Amboseli Biosphere Reserve and the Mount Kilimanjaro World Heritage (WH) site. Principally the hydraulics, between Amboseli and Mt. Kilimanjaro are vital to sustainability of the ecosystem functions and livelihood options in the area. However, the linkage between the two ecosystems is poorly understood, specifically in the context of climate change impacts. The UNESCO project titled “Biosphere Reserves as learning laboratories for sustainable development in Africa’’ which was undertaken in this area has addressed some of the challenges through awareness arising, training and policy advice. The project which was

conducted through a sectoral PRA was supported through UNESCO/Japan in-trust co operation.

4.4.1 CURRENT STATUS OF AMBOSELI The Amboseli Bosphere Reserve is due for Periodic Review this year. The ecological unit of UNESCO has already given the MAB National Committee a notice on the exit strategy. Plans are underway to initiate the periodic review exercise

4.2 MT. ELGON 4.2.1 GOEGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION  Mt. Elgon is a solitary extinct volcano with one of the largest craters in the world, about 8km across. The rim of the crater rises to an altitude of 4321 m above sea level, but due to the large basal area of the mountain the overall slope is 4%, giving the mountain a very gentle sloping profile when seen from a distance.  Mt. Elgon National Park, originally gazetted in 1938 as Mt. Elgon Forest Reserve, lies at the border between Uganda and Kenya and straddles the districts of Kapchorwa, Sironko, Manafa, Bukwo and Mbale in Uganda. The part in Uganda covers an area of about 11450 ha which is continuous with Mt. Elgon Forest reserve and Mt. Elgon National Park on the Kenya side of the border, but in 1983, about 6000 ha between rivers Kere and Kaptowoi in Kapchorwa district were excised off to resettle the ethnic Benet (Ndorobo) people, a group that had hitherto lived in the Heath and Moorland vegetation belt of the mountain (effectively having been rendered landless when the reserve was gazetted).  The Mt. Elgon protected area system is an important catchment area providing water for both domestic and industrial use, as well as feeding into Lake Kyoga in Uganda via River Mpologoma and Lake Turkana in Kenya via Rivers Suam and Bukwa. The catchment function was considered of primary importance when it was gazette, while provision of forest resources was a secondary objective. 4..2.2 CURRENT STATUS OF MT ELGON  The idea of the nominating of Mt. Elgon as a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (TBR) was conceived during the UNESCO funded meeting of East Africa Wildlife Directors, at Amboseli Serena Lodge, on 25th to 26th April 2001. At this meeting it was resolved that cooperation between Kenya and

Uganda in management of Mt. Elgon as a Transboundary Reserve be boosted.  The stakeholders’ workshop of Uganda – Kenya on the proposed Biosphere Reserve held in Eldoret, Kenya 11th to 13th November 2001, recommended that Mt. Elgon be a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve. A sub committee was set up to prepare nomination papers for consideration by the MAB National Committees.  During the biannual AfriMAB meeting held in September, 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya, the AfriMAB Member States also expressed their willingness to enhance exchange of information, maximize their efforts and harmonize actions geared towards the management and development of African biosphere reserves just like the other regional networks under the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.  The members, considered targets and activities set towards implementation of the Madrid Action Plan (MAP) and in a participatory way prioritized those which AfriMAB is set to implement over the period 2011 – 2013. Among the highly prioritized ones included establishment of transboundary biosphere reserves.  Under target 30 of MAP implementation of AfriMAB, the proposed Mt. Elgon TBR between Kenya and Uganda is listed as one of the areas to be focused on. It is against this background that the mission to the Mt. Elgon TBR site by a team comprising of five members of the AfriMAB secretariat in Kenya and a five member team from Uganda National Commission for UNESCO met to discuss a memorandum of understanding.  In the last 9 months, consultatons have been held between Kenya and Uganda regarding the nominations of Mt. Elgon as a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve. Among the activities already undertaken include: . Capacity building workshops . GIS activities on zonation . validation workshops

. A review of the memorandum of understanding between Kenya and Uganda . Preparation of a dossier on the TBR for submission to UNESCO.  these activities were funded by the Lake Basin Development Commission.  Below is the revised draft of the Memorandum of Understanding between Kenya and Uganda authorities;

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

Between

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA

And

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA

TRANSBOUNDARY COLLABORATION FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF MOUNT ELGON ECOSYSTEM AS A TRANSBOUNDARY BIOSPHERE RESERVE

THIS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (hereinafter referred to as “the MOU”) is entered into this ______day of______, 2014, between the Government of the Republic of Kenya, represented by the Ministry for Environment, Water and Natural Resources, of P.O. Box 41394-00100 Nairobi, Kenya, (hereinafter called the Republic of Kenya), of the one part, and the Government of the Republic of Uganda, represented by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities of P. O. Box 4241 Kampala, Uganda, (hereinafter called the Republic of Uganda) of the other part, but jointly hereinafter referred to as “the Parties”;

PREAMBLE

WHEREAS the Republic of Kenya and the Republic of Uganda are among the Partner States that form the East African Community pursuant to the provisions of the Treaty;

AWARE that Mount Elgon ecosystem is shared between the two Parties;

ACTING on the legal obligations of the Treaty specifically Articles 111, 112 and 114(1)(b), to the effect that Partner States are expected to undertake concerted measures to foster cooperation in the joint and efficient management of the environment and sustainable utilization of natural resources within the Community and to pursue preservation of the ecosystems and the arrest of environmental degradation;

NOTING that Partner States concluded the Protocol for Sustainable Development of Lake Victoria Basin in 2003, and established the Lake Victoria Basin Commission to among other functions promote, facilitate and coordinate activities of different actors towards sustainable development of the Lake Victoria Basin;

RECOGNIZING that Mount Elgon ecosystem is an ecosystem well known worldwide and recognized as a landscape where humans, livestock, and wildlife have existed for centuries;

WHEREAS it is the intention of both Parties to gazette Mount Elgon to the status of a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (TBR) by UNESCO so as to ensure the long-term conservation of biodiversity;

CONCERNED that climate change and changing land use patterns are having and will have severe environmental and economic impacts on the shared Mount Elgon ecosystem, and agreed therefore that action now is both a moral and economic imperative;

NOTING that the idea of nominating Mount Elgon as Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (TBR) was conceived during the UNESCO funded meeting of the East African Wildlife Directors held at Amboseli Serena lodge, on 25th-26th April 2010;

REALISING that elevation of Mount Elgon ecosystem as a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve(TBR) requires a mechanism of cooperation between the Parties, the East African Wildlife Directors resolved that the Parties conclude a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation;

DESIROUS of the need to cooperate to establish Mount Elgon as a Transboundary Biosphre Reserve as per UNESCO Guidelines and Principles and further to preserve Mount Elgon as a fragile Transboundary ecosystem for the benefit of the present and future generations;

COMMITTED to sharing information and communicating regularly to improve understanding, prevent degradation of the Mount Elgon ecosystem and to reach mutually beneficial outcomes on the sustainable preservation of the ecosystem;

NOW THEREFORE desire to enter into this MOU and hereby agree as follows:

Article 1 Definition of Terms

For purposes of this MOU, unless the context otherwise requires, the following terms shall have the following meaning:

"Biodiversity" means the variety and variability of living organisms from all sources including among others, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems;

"Biosphere Reserve" means areas of terrestrial and aquatic, or a combination thereof, which are internationally recognized within the framework of UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB);

”Ecosystem" means the whole system of interaction of community of organisms within their physical environment in the Mount Elgon;

"Joint Management Committee" means a committee set up both Parties in accordance with Article.....;

"Joint Management Plan" means a plan developed by the Joint Management Committee;

"Community" means the East African Community established by Article 2 of the Treaty;

"Council" means the Council of Ministers of the Community established by Article 9 of the Treaty;

"Sectoral Council" means the Sectoral Council of Ministers provided for under Article 35 of the Protocol;

"Treaty" means the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community signed at Arusha on 30th November 1999;

"Partner States" means the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republic of Burundi and the Republic of Rwanda and any other country granted membership to the Community under article 3 of the Treaty;

"Mount Elgon Ecosystem" is defined as having a core zone of protected areas and a peripheral zone consisting the districts and counties sharing a boundary with at least one of the protected areas:

 Core Zone consistent of Protected Areas: Uganda: i) Mount Elgon National Park Uganda and ii) Namatale Central Forest Reserve (Mbale and Sironko District) Kenya ; iii) Mount Elgon National Park Kenya, iv) & v) Mount Elgon Forest Reserves of Bungoma and Trans Nzoia Counties, and vi) Chepkitale National Reserve.

 The peripheral zone: Uganda: Bukwo, Kween, Kapchorwa, Bulambuli, Sironko,Mbale, Bududa,Manafwa Districts Kenya: Kwanza, Bungoma and Trans Nzoia Counties in Kenya.

Article 2 Objectives

The purpose of this MOU is to establish a framework for cooperation and coordination mechanisms between the Parties aimed at the following:

(a) Joint actions aimed at conservation and sustainable management of the Mount Elgon Ecosystem as a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (TBR);

(b) To set up institutional arrangements for the joint action and management of the Mount Elgon ecosystem; and

(c) To support regional economic development through enhanced joint tourism development and promotion, development of business opportunities and strengthening social and political ties through established regional economic bodies and entities. Article 3 Areas Of Cooperation

Pursuant to the provisions of the Treaty and the Protocol for Sustainable Development of the Lake Victoria Basin regarding protection and conservation of ecosystems, on a reciprocal basis, the Parties shall endeavor to collaborate and enhance joint actions as follows:

(a) Build capacity of the existing institutions and develop additional institutions dedicated to implementation of this MOU;

(b) Formulate joint plans, programs and projects and undertake to jointly allocate funds to facilitate implementation of this MOU;

(c) Promote the management of Mount Elgon Ecosystem as a Water Tower feeding the important water systems and bodies of East Africa and beyond by supporting the development and implementation of IWRM model for Mount Elgon Ecosystem;

(d) Develop and implement coherent and harmonised trans-boundary strategies for the management and conservation of Mount Elgon ecosystem. This will include joint ecosystem monitoring tools through Harmonised Ranger Based Monitoring;

(e) Promote trans-boundary law enforcement mechanisms;

(f) Promote cultural preservation through promoting integration of cultural practices and traditional uses into the management of natural resources within Mount Elgon ecosystem and promote common principles underlying participatory management approaches in line with the principle functions of Biosphere Reserves;

(g) Jointly promote cross border tourism through development of a TB Ecotourism Master Plan marketing Mount Elgon as an important tourist destination;

(h) Promote effective collaboration in developing climate resilient strategies for economic development and ecosystem management; and

(i) Jointly promote resource mobilisation for the conservation and management of the Mount Elgon Ecosystem.

Article 4 Management of the Ecosystem

(a) The management authorities and legal status for the ecosystem on either side of the border shall remain as established by the respective national laws;

(b) The management authorities from both Parties shall develop and implement a Joint Collaborative Management Plan for the coordinated management of the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve, which shall be reviewed periodically; and

(c) A Joint Collaborative Management Committee comprising officials appointed by both Parties shall oversee the management of the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve and set guidelines for its operations. The Committees shall report to the Ministries responsible for the management of the protected area in either Country.

Article 5 Law Enforcement i. The respective management authorities shall carry out joint patrols within the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve for purposes of law enforcement. The Parties shall through their respective immigration departments obtain a permanent waiver of the movement restrictions for the law enforcement staff, when carrying out joint patrols on either side of the international boundary; and ii. Joint operations referred to above shall include but not limited to anti-poaching, fire control, problem animal control, and control of illegal trade in wild fauna and flora;

Article 6 Resource Use i. Parties shall jointly draw up and periodically revise mechanisms of resource access and use in the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve by the neighbouring communities; ii. Baseline agreed mechanisms on resource access and use shall be developed through a consultative manner involving all key stakeholders; iii. The Joint Management Committee and the existing local institutions such as the Community Protected Area Institutions (CPIs) shall be charged with management

and resolving issues regarding resource use and utilization in the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve(TBR). Both the Joint Management Committee and already existing institutions shall be maintained and strengthened by both Parties with the view to facilitate them implement the spirit of this MOU; and

iv. Both Parties undertake to initiate measures to rehabilitate and restore encroached and degraded areas

Article 7 Zoning

The zoning of the Mount Elgon Transboundary Biosphere Reserve shall be mutually agreed between the Parties and re-evaluated from time to time in line with national and international legal instruments. Both Parties undertake to fast track and give their utmost legal and administrative support to the processes and obligations required in the mapping of Mount Elgon ecosystem as a Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (TBR).

Article 8 Capacity Building, Research and Monitoring

Parties shall develop joint programmes for capacity building, research and monitoring tools relevant to the management, scientific and socio-economic needs of the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve.

Article 9 Establishment of Joint Management Committee

Both Parties to this MOU undertake to establish a Joint Management Committee drawn from key stakeholders that will be entrusted with steering implementation of the MOU. Parties further undertake to nominate members of the Joint Management Committee in a period not exceeding three months aftersigning of the MOU.

The Joint Management Committee shall determine its rules of procedure to regulate its meetings.

The Joint Management Committee shall meet at least three times a year.

Article 10 Obligations of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission

For purposes of this MOU, the Lake Victoria Basin Commission shall:

(a) Report implementation progress of this MOU to the Sectoral Council of Ministers on Lake Victoria Basin;

(b) Submit matters that require policy guidance with a bearing on this MOU to the Sectoral Council of Ministers on Lake Victoria Basin and the Council of Ministers;

(d) Undertake to follow up implementation of policy directives from both the Sectoral Council on Lake Victoria Basin and the Council related to this MOU; and

(e) Organize and coordinate regional transboundary meetings in pursuit to fulfill the objectives of this MOU and to promote sharing of experiences and lessons learned.

Article 11 Funding

Parties undertake to continue providing adequate funding and budgetary support that each is currently providing for the management of the Protected Areas on either side. In addition, the Parties shall collaboratively develop proposals for funding by Development Partners and set up proper management of such funding.

Article 12 Information Sharing

During the course of this MOU, the Parties shall undertake to share information through activities such as organization and participation in joint training activities and exercise aimed at effective management and conservation of Mount Elgon ecosystem. Exchange of information shall also bear on areas of anti-poaching, fire control, problem animal control, and control of illegal trade in wild fauna and flora.

Parties further agree to maintain regular close consultations to monitor and review the implementation of this MOU. Further, the Parties herein express their willingness to exchange and share with each other relevant information and documents without prejudice to arrangements, which may be required to safeguard the confidential and restricted character of certain information and documents. Both Parties shall have free and unrestricted access and use of all information, methods, products and results developed under the framework of this MOU for their exclusive internal use.

Article 13 Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual property rights, in particular copy right of materials made available to the Parties to be used to carry out the activities under this MOU shall remain with the originating party, which grants the other Party the right to use them for the specific purposes and only under the conditions stipulated in this MOU, unless separately negotiated and agreed. Therefore, all data, documentation and studies mutually interchanged between the Parties will be duly referenced when used in any activity compatible to the objectives of this MOU.

Furthermore, copyright of information, as well as rights to any other intellectual property, developed jointly by the Parties under the framework of this MOU shall be jointly vested in each Party. Each Party shall be granted mutual license to use such

16 jointly-vested intellectual property for non-commercial purposes compatible with the spirit of this MOU.

Article 14 Legal Quality and Independence of the Parties

The Parties acknowledge and agree that this MOU is a non-binding agreement, and can be subject to, inter alia, the passage of legal instruments and or administrative approvals. The Parties agree to work cooperatively and in good faith to implement the terms, intent and objectives of this MOU. Each Party agrees that this MOU gives rise to no legal obligations on either Party.

The Parties enter into this MOU while wishing to maintain their own sovereign independence. Unless specifically provided otherwise, the cooperation among the Parties as outlined in this MOU shall not be construed as any type of legal entity, partnership, or personality. Each Party shall accept full and sole responsibility for any and all expenses incurred by it related to this MOU. Nothing in this MOU shall be construed as superseding or interfering in any way with any agreements or contracts that have been entered into among the Parties or with any other party regarding a matter that in para materia with the arrangement in this MOU.

Article 15 Amendments, Entry into Force and Duration

Any proposed amendment or addition to this MOU shall be agreed by the Parties in writing.

The present MOU shall enter into force upon signature by both Parties. The Parties intend this MOU to be indefinite considering its strategic environmental protection and conservation, however, it is hereby agreed that should any Party wish to terminate the arrangement, written notice of a period of one year shall be furnished to the other Party. Withdraw of any Party from the arrangement shall not in any way imply that on-going projects and commitments will cease to operationalise.

Article 16 Applicable Law and Dispute Settlement

This MOU, its meaning and interpretation shall be governed by general principles of law, to the exclusion of any national system of law.

Any dispute that may arise in the interpretation, application and implementation of this MOU shall be resolved by the Parties in an amicable way through diplomatic channels. The Parties further acknowledge that in resolving such disputes, they shall be guided by the need to give effect to the paramount objectives of the MOU.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this agreement to be executed the day and year first above written.

SIGNED BY: ………………………………………………………………………… FOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA

SIGNED BY:…………………………………………………………………….. FOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA

4.3 MALINDI WATAMU 4.3.1 GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION The Malindi Watamu Biosphere Reserve is situated in the coastal region of Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It is a good example of a marine park.  It is under the management of Kenya Wildlife Services.  The key areas of a Biosphere Reserve according to the Madrid Action Plan are well defined, ranging from the core area to the transition zone, in accordance with the Madrid Action Plan.  An up to date Management Plan is in place.  There are many non governmental organizations operating within the Biosphere Reserve, which include Watamu Turtle Watch and Aroche – Kenya, among others.  Some of the challenges in this BR include rivalry among resource users and pollution. 4.3.2 CURRENT STATUS The Kenya National MAB Committee has carried out the Periodic Review of Malindi Watamu Biosphere Reserve and remitted the report to UNESCO, Paris.

4.4 MT. KULAL 4.4.1 GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION  Mt. Kulal Biosphere Reserve is located in an arid area in the northern part of Kenya, surrounding Mt. Kulal.  It has an evergreen zone around Mt. Kulal.  The periodic Review report, prepared by the Kenya MAB Committee was endorsed by the MAB – ICC in July 2011, during the 23rd session of the International Coordinating Council of MAB in Dresden, Germany.

4.4.2 CURRENT STATUS The Mt. Kulal Bosphere Reserve is unique in that its activities are managed by the local community. This is unlike other Kenya Biosphere Reserves whose core zones are managed by the Kenya Wildlife Service.

4.5 KIUNGA 4.5.1 GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION  The Kiunga BR is mainly a Marine Reserve near the Kenya Somalia Border.  A management plan is under construction and has involved stakeholders, including the local community.  The Kenya MAB plans to conduct capacity building activities in the BR and to initiate a periodic review, in accordance with the Seville Strategy and the Madrid Action Plan.

4.5.2 CURRENT STATUS The periodic review of Kiunga Biosphere reserve has been carried out and the report remitted to Paris, UNESCO.

4.6 MT. KENYA BISPHERE RESERVE 4.6.1 GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION  This BR is situated in the Mt. Kenya National Park and is run by the Kenya Wildlife Service.  It has an operational management plan, which was developed through cooperation among the stakeholders, in accordance with the Madrid Action Plan.  Some of the challenges include: - Encroachment of settlements due to population pressure - Depletion of the forest in some areas. - Fires, which have destroyed large areas of the forest - Interference of water catchment

 There are many non-governmental organizations working in this area, mainly on conservation.

4.6.2 CURRENT STATUS OF MT KENYA The periodic review of Mt. Kenya Biosphere reserve has been carried out and the report remitted to Paris, UNESCO.

5.0 CURRENT MAB ACTIVITIES Some of the current activities in the MAB programme include the following; 5.1 AfriMAB  Kenya is is an active member of AfriMAB.  It participated in the General Assembly held in Accra Ghana  It handed over the secretariat to Ghana  It has also participated in the drafting of the AfriMAB BR management manual.

5.2 MT. ELGON TRANSBOUNDARY NOMINATION  Plans to nominate the Mt. Elgon Transboundary Biosphere Reserve are almost complete  The nomination dossier is almost ready for submission to UNESCO

5.3 EXTENSIONOF MT KENYA BIOSPHERE RESERVE TO INCLUDE LEWA  The proposal on this was submitted to UNESCO Paris and was accepted.

5.4 DEVELOPMENT OF LAMU PORT AND ITS POTENTIAL IMPACT  The Kenya MAB committee is keen on the activities related to the construction of the port with a view to raising a red flag incase the development will impact negatively on adjacent Biosphere Reserves.

 The process is still ongoing

5.5 PERIODIC REVIEWS OF BRS The Kenya MAB Committee spearheaed the periodic review of three Biosphere Reserves in the last one year. They are Malindi Watamu, Kinga and Mt. Kenya The periodic review reports have bee submitted to the Ecological unit of Unesco in Paris