April 2019
NOTES FROM THE FIELD - PROTECTING THE EARTH

Greetings from Nairobi!

This week the world celebrated Earth Day and I was struck by how much this day appears to be changing in the public consciousness. Whereas in the past it might have been a time to stop and reflect on how much we appreciate mother nature...this past April 22nd seemed to represent a sea change: a registry of urgency, action and broad social shifts towards a sustainability mindset. Environmentalism may no longer be the special purview of environmentalists. This is what we want. When broad segments of society, particularly youth, demand their rights to live in a clean environment and insist on protection of the natural capital that sustains all life on Earth, for the first time we might be justified in feeling hope.

Nowhere is this shift more compelling than the transformation being led by indigenous communities across the globe. Stepping up to overturn a century of marginalization by the conservation movement, these local and indigenous organizations are helping shape a new global mindset, and teaching the rest of the world new possibilities and most powerfully...envisioning the shape of a drastically different future from what we see today.

Enjoy the information below, especially the clip from our co-sponsored event at the National Geographic headquarters where Kenyan pastoralist conservation leaders told their incredible story on a global stage. 

And as always, please share this newsletter with partners in your network. We welcome your feedback.
Juniper Neill
Environment Office Chief
USAID Kenya and East Africa
PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS
Celebrating Community-Led Conservation in Kenya

Did you miss the event? Access the recorded live stream by clicking the photo above.

Read more
blog.nationalgeographic.org
The National Geographic Society (NGS), along with USAID, The Nature Conservancy and the Wyss Foundation, hosted an event on April 3 that - for the first time on a global stage - gave voice to the northern pastoralist communities of Kenya. Northern Rangelands Trust CEO Tom Lalampaa spoke about the important and challenging work of advancing a community-led conservation movement and how the success of the grassroots movement has helped resolve inter-tribal conflict, increase community resilience to climate change, and create economic opportunity, especially for women. Deputy Assistant Administrator for Africa Bureau Julie Koenen represented USAID.

NGS filmmaker Peter McBride introduces his three short documentaries on NRT here ...so if you're pressed for time, you can jump right to the amazing visuals and storytelling.

Katty Kay, presenter of BBC World News America moderated a panel which provided a deep dive into the details of this exciting, integrated development approach. We hope you enjoy!
BUILDING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES
In northern Kenya, USAID is working with The Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) to help communities withstand climate variability and shocks. A large part of this is helping communities to stabilize and improve the productivity of grasslands for livestock by removing unwanted species like acacia. In 2018 alone, NRT supported the removal of destructive acacia from 885 acres of community land.

NRT supports sustainable rangelands management by supporting rangeland coordinators and engaging community members, particularly Morans (young men) who are typically tasked with grazing family livestock. With USAID support, NRT provides rangeland coordinators with a motorbike, sufficient fuel, camping gear and a laptop so that they can carry out their duties effectively.

To strengthen monitoring practices that will improve the rangelands model, a number of USAID partners are contributing to NRT community conservancies, including the U.S. Department of Interior, the Regional Centre for Mapping and Resource Development, and the U.S. Forest Service.

The U.S. Department of Interior is developing a live vegetation monitoring tool to help NRT monitor potential conflict spots and also for conservancy staff to identify livestock feeding areas. The working model is now active.

The Regional Centre for Mapping and Resource Development is partnering with NRT and member conservancies to develop a publicly accessible online tool that can be used to assess long-term historical trends in rainfall, vegetation cover, bare ground, temperature, etc. The tool provides visual evidence to support community engagement discussions.

The U.S. Forest Service has developed a remote sensing tool to monitor trends in the distribution of Opuntia cactus - an unwanted species that thrives on degraded land and often causes injury to livestock and wildlife. It is particularly prolific in Naibunga, where the conservancy has invested in biological control methods. The U.S. Forest Service has worked hand in hand with communities in Naibunga to develop a field-based monitoring program that will allow communities and the NRT to better track the presence and spread of Opuntia cactus and the effectiveness of biocontrol measures.
To read more about community resilience in northern Kenya and a number of other activities that NRT supports, click on its State of Conservancies Report 2018.
To better understand the multi-faceted NRT program and its relevance to wider development in Kenya, click the infographic above.
KENYAN BLOGGERS TAKE ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Forty bloggers from the wider Nairobi area are now better prepared to write about climate change because of a recent workshop supported by the Kenya Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the DANIDA supported Green Growth and Employment Project, and the USAID Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development project. The three-day workshop provided bloggers with a clearer understanding of the Paris Agreement and how country decisions will impact the goal of keeping global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius.

Workshop facilitators simulated a world climate event similar to negotiations at the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties to provide bloggers with firsthand experience on how to cover the issues.

Engaging bloggers had an immediate impact on climate change awareness in Kenya. On March 26, the hashtag that bloggers created during the workshop (#ClimateChangeKE) was trending in East Africa with over 595,000 impressions. The bloggers also drove traffic to the Kenya Climate Change Knowledge Portal (www.kcckp.go.ke) by uploading content to the portal and promoting it on Twitter. 
Ezra Muinde 🇰🇪 on Twitter

Walked into a workshop with little knowledge about climate change, met aggressive, young climate change advocates. It's been a learning experience, it's been amazing getting to understand our planet. Climate change is a reality. Plant a tree....

Read more
twitter.com
TECHNICAL RESOURCES
KENYA CLIMATE CHANGE KNOWLEDGE PORTAL
The Kenya Climate Change Knowledge Portal  is a one-stop repository of climate change information in Kenya. It is an initiative of the Climate Change Directorate, the lead agency of the government on national climate change plans and actions. It also serves as the national knowledge and information management centre for collating, verifying, refining, and disseminating knowledge and information on climate change.

The Portal helps link climate change actors across sectors and initiatives to leverage impact and promote sustainability.

USAID supports the Kenya Climate Change Knowledge Portal through its Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development project.
Kenya Climate Change Knowledge Portal - Climate Change...

Climate change mitigation efforts seek to prevent or slow down the increase of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Mitigation also means human interventions to reduce the sources of greenhouse gases or to enhance their...

Read more
www.kcckp.go.ke
CLIMATELINKS CELEBRATES BIODIVERSITY ON EARTH DAY
This year’s Earth Day theme,  Protect Our Species , highlights the roles of all living things and the importance of protecting endangered and threatened species, such as  coral reefs, elephants, bees and other insects Biodiversity conservation  is essential for human well-being and helps maintain the ecosystem services that sustain life, from providing food, fish and timber to breaking down waste and regulating the climate. Changes in climate can drive biodiversity loss, which can, in turn, impact the ecosystem goods and services that form the foundation upon which human development depends.

USAID invests in  biodiversity conservation and natural resource management  to enable resilient development. Read more
Discover Climatelinks, a USAID Global Knowledge Portal

Evidence and Tools for Climate and Development Practitioners

Read more
www.climatelinks.org
CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY AND ADAPTATION IN EAST AFRICA
The East African Community (EAC), with support from the USAID/ Kenya and East Africa's Planning for Resilience in East Africa through Policy, Adaptation, Research, and Economic Development Project, produced the East Africa vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation assessment to provide essential information for implementation of the EAC Climate Change Master Plan (2011 - 2031).The study adopted the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment framework and used locally observed climate data and socioeconomic information for a 30-year period (1981–2010) together with future modeling results. That document links the EAC’s Climate Change Policy, Climate Change Strategy, and Climate Change Master Plan, which commit the members of the EAC to specific actions to address climate change, with adaptation to change as a priority.

Read more by clicking on Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation in East Africa.
USAID CLIMATE RISK PROFILE: KENYA
Climate risks pose serious threats to Kenya’s sustainable development goals. Kenya climate projections include: an increase in frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall, an increase in the severity of dry spells and duration of heat waves, and an increase in temperature and sea level over time.

The impact of these climate changes will be significant: reduced water quantity and quality, degradation and loss of coastal habitats, increased flooding and landslides, reduced grain quality and productivity, and increased risk of vector- and waterborne diseases.

The good news: Kenya is a leader in addressing climate change and was one of the first countries in Africa to enact a comprehensive law and policy to guide national and subnational climate action. The Climate Change Act and the National Climate Change Policy Framework of 2016 provides guidance for low-carbon and climate resilient development. 

Read more by clicking on USAID's Climate Risk Profile for Kenya.
FIND MORE EAST AFRICAN CLIMATE RISK PROFILE BELOW
RWANDA

The Ministry of Environment is responsible for designing and monitoring national climate policies. The Rwanda Environment Management Authority is under this ministry and is responsible for climate policy implementation through its Department of Climate Change and International Obligations. FONERWA, also in the Ministry of Environment, aims to mobilize domestic and international financing to environment and climate change projects. The Ministry of Environment has been accredited as an implementing entity for the Adaptation Fund and Green Climate Fund.

Read more by clicking on USAID's Climate Risk Profile for Rwanda.
TANZANIA

The Vice President's Office, Division of Environment, is the national climate change focal point under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and coordinates the National Climate Change Strategy (2012). The National Climate Change Steering Committee (NCCSC) and the National Climate Change Technical Committee (NCCTC) are the government bodies responsible for climate change activities. The NCCSC is tasked with analysis, policy guidance, and coordination of climate change activities across sectors, while the NCCTC provides technical advice to the national climate change focal point.

Read more by clicking on USAID's Climate Risk Profile for Tanzania.
UGANDA

This climate change risk analysis is focused geographically on the Karamoja region of Uganda. The technical focus is on livelihoods and interventions associated with USAID Food for Peace programming. The information includes an analysis of climate risks and potential impacts associated with identified risks.

Read more by clicking on USAID's Climate Risks in Food for Peace Geographies.  
OPPORTUNITIES

Future Climate for Africa (FCFA) is organising an  African Climate Risks Conference  that will take place from 7 – 9 October 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The call for abstracts is now open.
The African Climate Risks Conference is designed to be an open platform for sharing the latest research on African climate among researchers, policy makers, practitioners and development partners. 
Source: Climate & Development Knowledge Network. Read more


Join political and community leaders, protected-area practitioners, scholars, researchers, the youth, partners and stakeholders from public and private sectors across the continent to discuss how to protect Africa’s resources. November 18-23, 2019, Nairobi, Kenya. Submit your proposal by May 31, 2019.
ENVIRONMENT NEWS ROUNDUP

On April 22, 1970, CBS News marked the first ever Earth Day with a special report anchored by Walter Cronkite. "The gravity of the message of Earth Day still came through: act or die," Cronkite said at the time. Source: CBS News. Read more


High risk of worsening food insecurity in parts of Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Uganda if forecasted rainfall deficits materialize. Nairobi, Kenya, April 3, 2019 - Around 10.7 million people are currently food insecure across Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and the Karamoja region in Uganda. 
Source: Food Security and Nutrition Working Group. Read more


This week a United Nations working group responded to a joint statement  posted online  in December by some of the world’s largest conservation organizations calling for 30 percent of the planet to be managed for nature by 2030—and for half the planet to be protected by 2050. But exactly what counts as “protected”—and how countries can reach those goals—is still up for debate. Source: National Geographic. Read more


Tanzanian has announced that it will ban single-use polythene bags from June in the war against plastic pollution. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told parliament in Dodoma this week that polythene bags will no longer be used for commercial purposes or household packaging, and warned producers and suppliers to dispose of their stocks. Source: The East African. Read more


“Food production is the largest consumer of water and also represents the largest unknown factor of future water use as the world’s population continues to balloon, and we face increasing weather-related shocks and stresses,” said Laura Schulz, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator in USAID’s Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment. Source: New Security Beat. Read more


Danner Doud-Martin is not a climate change expert or a scientist. But she’s the person I wanted to talk to for Earth Day. Source: The New York Times. Read more


At first glance, climate change may not seem the most obvious subject for investigative journalists to tackle. The science that underlies our understanding of global warming is complex, and so we often rely on technical experts to tell us, for instance, to what extent it exacerbates floods, droughts, hurricanes, heat waves, epidemics and health issues, coastal erosion, the decline of species and other phenomena. Source: Earth Journalism Network. Read more
USAID Kenya and East Africa Environment | www.usaid.gov/east-africa-regional/environment