Elephant Neighbors Center Concept
Elephant Neighbors’ Center (ENC) is a Non- profit Organization that was founded with a vision of reinstating the broken while maintaining humans and wildlife coexistence the changing and dynamic society of today. From her vision ENC set a mission to protect the African elephant and secure landscapes for elephants outside the protected areas through various initiatives and multi-stakeholder partnerships. ENC goals and objective emphasis on a three-tier approach that integrate Community knowledge, Environment and Livelihoods elements to resolve key problems and biases facing conservation in Kenya.
To push the conservation agenda ENC founded a trademark and conservation brand for it campaigns titled Ivory Belongs to Elephants with advocacy Walks as its core activity and anchored on three objectives
(1) Raise awareness on the Elephants and Rhino poaching
(2) Engage local communities on how to participate in wildlife conservation programs
(3) Lobby for up-listing elephant populations from Appendix II to I for Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa
Previous Campaigns and walks (2013-2017)
Mr. Jim Nyamu the co-founder of ENC and flag bearer of the campaigns who has over 16 years’ experience of studying elephants in Kenya and Africa, since 2013 to 2016 has walked over 9000 KM all to raising awareness on plight of elephant and rhino poaching in Africa while collecting opinions of people at local level and coexisting with wildlife to identify the causes and drivers of the rapidly growing human wildlife conflict.
In Kenya Jim has covered over 12,000Km in Kenya on the following walks
• Mombasa to Nairobi -455Km,
• Maasai Mara, Samburu/Laikipia – Mt. Kenya, Nairobi- 1710km
• Meru Town – Meru park -230Km
• Shimba hill – Lamu -515Km
• Nanyuki, Nyeri – Nyandarua -405Km
• Nyeri, Muranga- Ndakaini -190Km
• Emali, Amboseli- Taveta, Voi -460Km
• Transmara, Loita – Maasai Mara -290Km
• Nairobi and its environs -30Km
• East Africa, Nairobi- Dar es Salaam, Kampala –Nairobi -3480km
• Nairobi- Mt Kenya – Marsabit – 617km
• Kensington (London) to Bristol in England – 350km
and internationally covering 976KM from Boston to DC in the USA.
On these past campaigns Jim and ENC have received enormous support from credible partners, personalities and well-wishers including Kenya’s First H.E Lady Margaret Kenyatta, Cabinet Secretary Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resource Prof Judy Wakhungu who have walk with Jim, Ministry of Interior and Government Co-ordination, House of Lords in UK, 7 Mayors from Reading, Newbury, Swindon, Gloucester, Cirencister, Bath, Bristol Cheltenham, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Corporates: , Nakumatt, AAR, Sarova Hotels, Serena Hotels, Maniago E.A Safaris, Classic Safaris; NGOs such as Chandaria foundation, Lewa Conservancy, Born-Free foundation, AFEW Kenya, Nairobi Arboretum, Wildlife Clubs of Kenya, IFAW, WWF, , Save the elephants, Amboseli Elephant Research Trust, , Ann Kent Taylor Foundation, Wildlife Works, , among others individual donors.
The impact and significance of these campaigns cannot be under estimated, has visited and walked with 6401 learning institutions, 110 universities and colleges in Kenya and in the USA and held over 8000 community meetings, 6019 conservation talk, in 30 counties.
As a result of these campaigns ENC boasts of the following achievements
i. Jim was invited at the House of Lords in UK by Lord Carrington of Fulham as a guest and delivered speech on Dec 21st 2017 during the debate on “ Impact of Ivory trade in UK”
ii. Recognized and awarded by Mass The Media (MTM) in UK with “International Special Recognition Award for Excellence & Achievement in Elephant Conservation
iii. Bringing and uniting the East Africa countries, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in a 126 grass-root and awareness campaign walk.
iv. Advocating for the revision Wildlife Management ACT and her subsequent penalties from penalty of 1 year or a fine of Ksh 40,000 to life in Prison or a fine of 20million shillings, which was adopted and enacted as a law.
v. Internationally represented Kenya’s conservations efforts in the David Shedrick Wildlife Trust International Wildlife Elephant Global March in Washington DC on October 4th 2013.
vi. In partnership with David Shedrick Wildlife Trust and other lobbyist pressurized the USA government to crush ivory confiscated which was later crushed in Colorado in November 14th 2013 in an inaugural event that Jim was invited to witness.
vii. Raised awareness against poaching through local, national and International media impressions and interviews including Interviews on Nation Media, K24, KBC, KTN, CCTV, International, Uganda Broadcasting corporation, BBC and CNN, Radio shows on Radio Seattle, Delmarva Radio, Radio Jambo, Voice of America, Good morning America, Print media- New York times, National Geographic, New Jersey. Com, Herald news. Allegheny college news, Daily nation, The Star, The East African, Standard Newspaper reaching over 3 million peoples.
CAMPAIGN JUSTIFY
According to African elephant specialist group (www.elephantdatabase.org ) Africa elephants population dropped from 472,269 to 401,732 between 2006 and 2013 , the cause of the decline is caused by illegal poaching of elephants arriving to 9% rate of decline primary due to poaching .The data shows that between 2006 and 2013 Africa lost 193,749 elephants , South Africa lost 19,198 and East Africa 47,898 .
Southern African elephant population has also suffered a decline, the data shows between 2007-2013 the region lost 18,658 (2007; 297,718 and 2013; 278,520). Botswana host the highest savanna elephants in Africa (2013; 133,453) seconded by Zimbabwe (2013; 67,954) respectively. Four countries in this region namely Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa have listed their elephants in appendixes II and practice ivory trade.
Cases of poaching in the East and South Africa region have been cartelized by macro factors in their neighboring countries namely Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa that are enjoying the down listing of their elephant population from Appendix I to II by CITES opening up opportunities to trade in live elephant and ivory.
The absence of sufficient integration multilateral and bilateral policies and action frameworks against acts and crimes poaching despite cross-border wildlife reserves and parks are significant loopholes promoting less conviction cases. Not any of this three broader country is safe working independently faced with a fact of cross-border elephant movement and migrations. It is justifiable that efforts such as the East African Walk, aimed at strengthening inter-state collaborations to identify integrated anti-poaching mechanism, action plan and task forces are required.
It’s in this spirit that Jim will lead an East – South Africa Grass –Elephant campaign and awareness walk. The 180 days walk aims at covering approximately 4500km aiming at one (mapping the elephant movement (trans-regional) from East – South Africa secondly showing the residents/nations how significant its in safeguarding these long corridors and thirdly lobbying for an amalgamated wildlife anti-poaching and trafficking strategy from the two region. Lastly this walk will also diplomatically ask the four countries namely Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa to take their elephant population in Appendix I. These four countries are the only in Africa whose elephant population is in Appendix II and they can legally trade on elephants and have negatively affected the neighboring countries/region.
Jim is currently the flag bearer of a campaign dubbed “Ivory Belong to Elephants aimed at protecting the African elephant from rapidly growing cases of crimes against elephants and securing landscapes for them through promoting coexistence with humans in wildlife ecosystems. In addition, has been engaged in a campaign walk dubbed “Ivory Belongs to Elephants Walk”.
In addition Jim is also involved in promoting wildlife conservation including
a. Negotiating with the government of Kenya through KWS to set up a national park in Laikipia- Samburu ecosystem.
b. Running a wildlife conservation and educations program with schools and youth through audiovisuals education, organizing student trips for children from poor communities to animal orphanages and national parks in partnership with KWS Education department and Giraffe center.
c. Engaging local communities with government agencies and conservationists to address human wildlife conflict and bush meat trade.
d. Establishing a strong volunteer network towards wildlife conservation in Marsabit and Tsavo conservation areas with Ireland Embassy.
These high experience, skills and knowledge has earned him good will and reputation that has lead the Kenyan Government, wildlife management authorities, county governments, International organizations such as MTM Awards in UK, conservation groups and agencies to partners with Jim in the past campaigns and it is also expected that he will be able to execute the East – South Africa Elephant campaign successful and by enhancing the regional elephant conservation efforts deployed in a speckled determination.
Sponsor benefits
• As partner/sponsor you will get a red carpet branding at the walk reception to be hosted by H.E the First Lady of Kenya among other dignitaries during the flag off.
• ‘Branding’ at all pre- event networking and post event publicity scheduled to be unrivalled in May 2018 and will receive a significant number of stakeholders.
• We shall maintain your logo in all our banners and in our two support vehicles.
• Your organization will be mentioned in all our communications, i.e. website, blogs, print media; interviews and in the social media i.e. twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn
• We shall include your dedicated twitter hasgtag in addition to our hashtag #StepwithJim #Africa4Jumbo #Ivorybelongstoelephants on a daily basis.
• The walk enjoys Local, National and International Media that includes, Nat geo, BBC, CNN and press coverage from different countriesyou’re your organization will enjoys all the time social media mention.
• Your brand will enjoy live streaming in 150days through Go-Pro based in USA www.gopro.org
CONTACT DETAILS: E-mail: jim.nyamu@elephantcenter.org
info@elephantcenter.org
Cell: +254 -723 398 190
Alt Cell: +254 -713 353 060
Website: www.elephantcenter.org
How to send your donation
• Paypal account; nyamuj@yahoo.com
• (Mchanga account: Elephant Neighbors Center): Safaricom:
Playbill: 891300
Account name ENC
•Cheque: (Elephant Neighbors Center) Bank account can be provided upon your request:
https://www.gofundme.com/ivory-belongs-to-elephants
