Primate Conservation Course

 

 

Our Primate Conservation Course is designed to give you a taster into practical conservation work and gives you the opportunity to learn new skills and make a valuable contribution to the protection of Kenya’s monkeys. Whether you are interested in pursuing a career in conservation and research, or simply have a passion for monkeys, this course offers an informative and entertaining insight into ways of conserving these amazing animals. This course is run in partnership with WWF and the Kaya Muhaka Forest Conservation Group and is an ideal extension to your existing programme.

 

Highlights

 

• 5 day Primate Conservation Course
• Learn practical conservation skills
• Key involvement in ongoing Wildlife conservation projects
• Exclusive primate theory and practical workshop
• Indian Ocean Beach and Kenya Bush location
• Enhances your CV and gives you a competitive advantage in conservation

 

 

Itinerary (5 days)

 

 

Day	Activity	Location Overnight
1	Primate Conservation Course	Camp Muhaka
2	Primate Conservation project work	Camp Muhaka
3	Primate Conservation project work	Camp Muhaka
4	Primate Conservation project work	Camp Muhaka
5	Primate Education and Awareness	Camp Muhaka

 

 

You will undertake a one day Primate Conservation workshop at the Colobus Trust to enable you to develop skills that can then be put into practice as part of our ongoing conservation work. This will then be followed by at least 4 days of practical work including working with local school children. The course combines a mixture of classroom and field sessions to give you a well rounded introduction to conservation work in this area. You will leave the course with a practical understanding of primate and forest research techniques and practical conservation activities.

 

The following topics will be covered during the three days of the workshop:

 

Introductory session

 

This session provides an introduction to wildlife and primate conservation in Kenya and in Diani, and provides background context to the remainder of the course topics. Subjects covered include: wildlife conservation in Kenya; biodiversity of coastal forests; conservation challenges in coastal forests; running a primate conservation project (Colobus Trust as a case study).

 

Diurnal primate census

 

There are populations of 4 different diurnal (daytime) primate species in the Diani area. This practical session will introduce you to techniques used to determine the size and age/sex structures of these populations. Collection of this type of data is important to monitor how populations are coping over time.

 

Nocturnal primate census

 

Bushbabies (or ‘galagoes’) are nocturnal primates that are also found in this area. They require different census techniques because of their night time habits. This classroom only session will introduce you to this type of research.

 

Colobus troops range study

 

The Colobus monkeys of the coastal forests are unique to this area. Kaya Muhaka has a resident population and we are determining the size of territory (range) of Colobus troops, to answer research questions such as: Does range size vary with habitat quality? How many populations can a particular area sustain? Answers to questions such as these can help primate conservationists develop effective strategies. This classroom and practical session will introduce you to range of study techniques.

 

Colobus diet study

 

Colobus monkeys exist primarily on a diet of leaves and flowers from native tree species. This classroom and practical session will introduce you to the food species eaten by Colobus monkeys and how to identify them. This knowledge can be used in the field to identify appropriate habitat areas for Colobus and also areas where planting of food species is required.

 

Habitat disturbance study

 

It is important for conservationists to monitor the quality and levels of disturbance of areas of wildlife habitat. This classroom and practical session will introduce you to techniques used to study this.

 

Practical conservation

 

Camp Kenya is working closely with the elders of Kaya Muhaka (a sacred forest) to provide sustainable ways to protect the area. We are currently creating a buffer zone of income-generating trees around the indigenous forest and constructing a small eco-camp that will be run by the local community. The long term goal is to ccreat nature trails and a canopy walk that will attract visitors from all over and provde income for the local custodians of the forest in order to ensure the long term protection of this vital primate habitat.

 

 

I loved the place, the people, the food - I know how to make Chapattis! I am now a qualified open water diver, and wow was that good - saw 2 humpback whales, 5 dolphins, and 2 turtles, as well as a blow fish - he was amusing! The community are amazing, so welcoming and the kids just waved every time they saw us. But nothing can beat the friends I made out there. I got on the plane to Kenya scared and worried that I wouldn't get on with anyone. By the end, I didn't want to leave Kenya. I’ve made a group of friends who I know I will see back in the UK; the Camp Kenya family. Thank you so much! You guys are fantastic! I've had the best experience of my life, and it's changed my perspective of so many things - I now want to go back to do the next part on my diving... I want to eventually become an instructor!!!

Leander Moore