IMPACT TO DATE

The numbers YOU have helped grow

Acres Protected

Landowners signed MoU

Km of electric fencing removed

% of eligible landowners have entered the MoU

The impact of our work extends far beyond protecting pangolins—it safeguards one of the most biodiverse regions in the Mara Ecosystem and preserves its critical role in local climate regulation. Through our expanded efforts in Nyekweri Forest, The Pangolin Project is securing and restoring 25,000 acres of vital habitat, addressing threats like deforestation and electric fencing, and empowering a community-led conservation model. Together, we are creating a sanctuary for the Giant Pangolin and countless other species while ensuring a legacy of resilience and biodiversity for generations to come.

We have reduced deforestation across the area 

With only 10% of the forest remaining, The Pangolin Project has acted rapidly and dynamically to halt deforestation in the area, achieving the following since December 2023:

  • 4,000 acres of forest protected. Today, 4,000 acres of forest are protected under a conditional payment scheme (MoU) between The Pangolin Project, Community Conservancy and over 133 landowners. This number grows each day, and as a result, deforestation has slowed. 

  • Community ownership for landscape protection is strengthening. As of September 2024, 65% of eligible landowners (determined by extent of existing forest cover) have entered into the MoU. Preliminary results show that with appropriate and competitive financial compensation, and other benefits, landowners are willing to engage with conservation as an alternative use of their land.  

  • Electricity removed from 72km of fencing resulting in reduced Giant Pangolin deaths. Before The Pangolin Project intervened, it was estimated 1 - 2 Giant Pangolin were being killed by electric fences each month.

Take a look at our latest impact report!

Coming soon! December 2024

 

Continued monitoring of the last Giant Pangolin in Kenya shows they are still breeding

  • Increase in monitoring capacity, identification of individuals and behavioural insights. Over the past year, we have significantly expanded the use of camera traps, increasing the number from 30 to 94. These cameras are now actively monitoring Giant Pangolins across seven distinct areas within the ecosystem. The monitoring team sees and monitors between 3 – 10 individuals known to them on a monthly basis .

  • We believe we are currently monitoring approximately 10 individuals. This is based on behavioural knowledge, individual estimates, and the fact that we have recorded multiple animals on the same night in widely separated locations, This number likely represents 25% to 30% of the total population, which we estimate to be between 20 and 34 individuals.

  • Activity data reveals a notable increase in Giant Pangolin movements during March and July, with individuals frequenting more burrows. The camera traps have captured more footage during these periods, showing the pangolins moving in and out of burrows and using them for scent marking. These patterns align with similar observations of Temminck’s Ground Pangolin in the Maasai Mara National Reserve and are likely linked to the breeding and pupping seasons.

  • The Giant Pangolins are reproducing! Two pangolin pups were seen in July this year – this marks the first time in 2 years the team have captured any pups on camera trap (although one was sadly killed by a honey badger). This is a beacon of hope and promising for the viability of the population in the area. See footage of pup.

Pangolin and her pup captured on a camera trap in October 2024

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We are building consensus-based community conservation for sustainable protection and restoration in Nyekweri 

  • Working with community conservancies. The Pangolin Project has partnered with Olorien Forest Trust and Kimintet Forest Trust Conservancy to catalyse habitat protection, meet the needs of community members and build consensus-based community conservation for sustainable protection of the area. 

  • Community-Led Conservation for a Thriving Future. Governance and management of the area are critical to ensure the achievement of conservation goals, landowner compliance, and improved security for natural resources. However, the success of the conservancy model is not possible without a fair and inclusive process that considers the needs of those living alongside wildlife and the habitat we aim to protect. In July, The Pangolin Project partnered with Legado, an international NGO, to help the community define their "Thriving Future". Together, we led an inclusive process of meetings, with discussions split among women, men, and youth, to establish community-determined priorities for both human and environmental well-being.

  • Women are part of the change. In these meetings, for the very first time in conservation, women community leaders are participating and asked to share their views. Their voices revealed deep insights: they spoke of dried-up streams, vanishing bees, and disappearing traditional herbs, all linked to deforestation. There was a sense of regret, but also a newfound determination to restore what was lost. These women are now empowered to speak up, knowing their opinions matter and are being heard.

  • The community trusts and respects The Pangolin Project. This has been largely unheard of in the area where a number of external partners have held meetings but not actioned any plans. The Pangolin Project has built trust with the community and leadership within the area by demonstrating that the project “said and did” what it set out to do with the conditional payment schemes. 

Women from Saparingo Village holds up a picture of a pangolin at a community workshop in the Saparingo area | Roshni Lodhia

We have increased the protection of wildlife and natural resources in Nyekweri 

  • 21 community conservancy rangers contracted. In July 2024, The Pangolin Project contracted 21 community conservancy rangers to carry out daily patrols and monitor and protect wildlife, natural resource damage and human wildlife conflict in Nyekweri. As a result of extra presence, wildlife casualties are quickly identified and, working in partnership with Kenya Wildlife Service, we have been able to mobilise vital veterinary support.

  • Removing snares and coordinating veterinary care. In the last 3 months the ranger team has responded to 20 wildlife casualties as a result of snares, injuries and fencing. The Pangolin Project has coordinated responses with Kenya Wildlife Service to ensure that wildlife receive veterinary care and attention. 

  • Building partnerships with Kenya Wildlife Service. We are working with Kenya Wildlife Service to build protection of natural resources in Nyekweri. In October 2024, Kenya Wildlife Service launched the National Action and Recovery Plan for Pangolin in Kenya raising their profile and providing a framework for working together. 

The blue outline is the ‘Proposed site of 10,000 HA (25,000 acre) Sanctuary’. The yellow outline is the initial priority area that we aim to secure in 2025.    

TPP estimates the current population of Giant Pangolin is between 16 and 32 individuals, with the population threatened with local extinction by habitat loss and fencing. Other species such as giraffe and elephant are recording significant declines as the natural capital of the area is eroded. Without immediate action, the Nyekweri Forest and its unique biodiversity, including Giant Pangolins, will be lost forever.