Kenya: Kisite Island

Description:

Through a new Adaptive Management Program, the Kenyan Wildlife Service is actively surveying marine parks and reserves for threats and taking appropriate management actions when threats are detected. This requires both monthly monitoring by rangers and a detailed annual survey of fish and coral populations. As the Kenyan Wildlife Service has limited personnel to conduct surveys, we have been invited to assist with this conservation program. .

On this collaborative research program between the Kenya Wildlife Service Kisite Marine Park and the Oceanic Society with principal investigator Dr. Jennifer O'Leary, volunteers can assist park rangers conduct the detailed annual survey of fish and coral populations. After a two-day training workshop, we will then work with park rangers to assess the biomass of key fish as well as coral cover and diversity within the Kisite Marine Park. The goal of this work is to assist the Kenyan Wildlife Service with the science to help manage the Kisite Marine Park.

Kisite Marine Park is located in southern Kenya near the Tanzanian border. Our program begins with two days at a coastal resort where volunteers and park rangers will receive training on identification of key fish species and coral cover. We then transfer to the Kisite Marine Park rustic cabins to survey at four locations within the marine park and four locations in an adjacent fished reef working side by side with Dr. Leary and park rangers.

Volunteers can choose from a variety of tasks from fish identification, coral cover assessment, to collecting environmental data such as water temperature and visibility (using a secchi disk). Although no experience or special skills are required, participants must be experienced snorkelers .

Accommodations are in comfortable resorts until we are based at the Kisiti Marine Park's cabins on the mainland. The cabins are double occupancy some with private bath and some with shared baths. There will be some time for recreational snorkeling, and options for safari extensions.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Group arrives in Nairobi, overnight.
Day 2: Morning flight to Mombassa and check into hotel. Meet with rangers from the Mombassa Marine Reserve. Afternoon snorkel and overnight in comfortable resort.
Day 3-4: Tansferto Resort near Diani Beach. Two days field training in monitoring methods, recreational snorkeling.
Day 5-12: Transfer to Marine Park cabins. Daily reef surveys with breaks for lunch.
Day 13: Transfer to Resort for project review. Afternoon on your own to snorkel or optional safari. Enjoy farewell dinner.
Day 14: Transfer to airport for your flight home. 

Optional Extensions: