The internet comes through again!
After brainstorming a rainwater-harvesting solution for our maasai hosts in Nkiito, Amboseli I contacted IFAW who work in the area with KWS, protecting the elephants. They put me onto the Meshanani Project which led me to the dutch Naga Foundation who employ a “specialized geo-engineering technique to stop and reverse the process of desertification through the rehabilitation of local ecosystems” and is already re-greening around the Meshanani Gate area close to Nkiito in a large-scale project covering the hydrological corridor from the Indian Ocean to the Kilimanjaro hinterland!! They are restoring “a vast area of fertile land to climate engineer and restore the rainwater infiltration capacity of the soil and sub-surface water reservoirs”. I wrote about this back in April 2011 before meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment (MEMR) Ali Muhammed but we didn’t get very far as they were too focused on the Rio Summit, which also didn’t get very far! But now I’ve found out that we have climate geo-engineers on Nkiito’s doorstep!!! They won the St Andrews Prize – here’s their FB album.

“A patchwork of some 266 km² actively developed evergreen areas will extend restoration effects to an area of around 20.000 km² ..simultaneously supporting the local communities in setting up and developing sustainable businesses on the re-greened lands, advancing a sustained local economy”.

I’ve contacted Co-Founder Dennis Karpes to work alongside them .. watch this video of their work.

Obviously these solutions take a long time but this secures our investment for our own little short term rainwater-harvesting solution, while we work towards (or simply wait for) current large-scale water-harvesting techniques. Linking Nkiito with Naga means they can help alongside in ensuring ALL rain is collected and brought subsurface. As a result aquifers are replenished and vegetation re-appears, initiating natural processes of evapotranspiration and atmospheric cooling which then brings back regular, more balanced precipitation in the entire targeted region. Naga already works with a lot of the maasai in the area “to develop simple and diverse business models that capitalize on the value of the re-greened land … restarting local economies, raising the social and economic standard of living, and developing a situation in which good and sustainable stewardship of the local ecosystem is encouraged, by restoring a culture of prevention.”

I love it when a plan comes together!

 

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