ABOUT US
The Grevy's Zebra Trust was established in January 2007 to address the urgent need to conserve Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) in the community rangelands of Ethiopia and Kenya. It is an independent wildlife conservation Trust registered in Kenya.
We focus on: employment of communities to protect and monitor the species; support of education for pastoral children; awareness campaigns; partnering on research projects that link directly to management; and rangeland rehabilitation through planned livestock grazing. In order to maximise the success of its programmes, coordination and close collaboration with partner organisations working in Grevy's zebra conservation is a priority of the Trust.
Trustees
The Grevy’s Zebra Trust is governed by a Board of Trustees with representation from Kenya, Ethiopia, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Martha Fischer (Chair)
Dr. Argaw Kifle
Tom Lalampaa (Vice-Chair)
Peter Leshakwet
David Njonjo
Patrick Omondi
Dr. Guy Parker
Sara Spendrup-Dyer
Degu Tadie
The late James Munyugi was also a Founder Trustee and played a critical role in guiding the community focus of the Trust.
Technical Support
The Trust has an Advisory Committee to give technical guidance, including Dr Patricia Moehlman (IUCN, Equid Specialist Group), Dr Daniel Rubenstein (Princeton University), Dr Stuart Williams, and Dr Tim Woodfine (Marwell Wildlife)
The Management Team
Belinda (Low) Mackey, Executive Director
Belinda was born and raised in Kenya. She has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), University of Kent, UK. She started working in Grevy’s zebra conservation at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in 2001 for Earthwatch Institute as co-PI with Dr Daniel Rubenstein on the Zebras of Kenya research project, which investigated competition between Grevy’s and plains zebra. For the next two years, Belinda worked for Lewa as Research Officer and was responsible for coordinating their research and monitoring projects. During this time she founded the Grevy’s Zebra Scout Programme which engaged pastoral communities in Grevy’s zebra conservation. Moving on to the Northern Rangelands Trust in 2005 she developed the Northern Rangelands Endangered Species Programme which began the crucial expansion of Grevy’s zebra conservation into community-owned lands where the majority of the remaining animals reside.
This work led to the founding of an organisation dedicated to Grevy’s zebra conservation called the Grevy’s Zebra Trust. Belinda serves as the Executive Director for the Trust. She is a Certified Educator in Holistic Management and an Associate Accredited Consultant with Savory Institute which is being used to address rangeland degradation facing Grevy's zebra and pastoral people. She was a founder member of Kenya’s Grevy’s Zebra Task Force in 2004 and was part of the team that drafted the five-year strategy to guide Grevy’s zebra conservation and management in Kenya. She is a member of IUCN’s Equid Specialist Group and also provides technical support to Grevy’s zebra conservation efforts in southern Ethiopia.
Peter Lalampaa, Senior Manager
Peter Lalampaa is of Samburu ethnic origin from Oldonyiro in Isiolo District, Northern Kenya. Peter has been working with the Grevy’s Zebra Trust as Regional Coordinator since November 2007. This was his first job after successfully completing his Bachelor of Environmental Science degree at Kenyatta University, Nairobi. Coming from Samburu, Peter has a special affinity for the area and a desire to give back to his community and the land they depend on. This connection has strengthened his dedication to wildlife conservation as he recognizes that the future of pastoral livelihoods is also dependent on the same resources. Thus by conserving wildlife and its habitat he will also be able to improve the livelihoods of his people, creating a win-win situation.
During his time with it was clear that Peter was already evolving into an outstanding conservation leader. With encouragement from the Trust, Peter applied and was accepted to study an MSc in Conservation Biology at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, UK from September 2010 to September 2011. He is now back from the UK applying his new knowledge to his work.
Harriet Ndirangu, Administrative Assistant
Harriet Ndirangu resides in Nairobi and works out of the Nairobi office located at the IUCN compound in Langata. Harriet joined the GZT team as Administrative Assistant in September 2008. Harriet has a diploma in Community Health and Development with five years experience in project administration. She has worked for several development organisations and most recently was working in southern Sudan for an international NGO providing medical aid to communities. Harriet is therefore no stranger to sometimes tough field conditions and although she is mostly based in Nairobi, she is also responsible for co-managing the Grevy’s Zebra Bursary Programme with the field team. She is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Development Studies at Mount Kenya University.
Rikapo Lentiyoo, Regional Coordinator, Laisamis
Rikapo Lentiyoo is of Samburu ethnic origin from the Ngutuk Ongiron Group Ranch, West Gate Community Conservancy, in Samburu District, northern Kenya. In 2003, Rikapo was recruited by the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy as one of the first part-time Grevy’s Zebra Scouts to operate in a community area. A young Samburu warrior wearing traditional dress and speaking very little English, he quickly proved to be an excellent Scout. Soon after it began, the value of the Grevy’s Zebra Scout Program in identifying key areas used by Grevy’s zebra and their associated resources was obvious. This led to the expansion of the Program to six different communities and to the promotion of Rikapo to Program Coordinator in 2005 under the Northern Rangelands Trust.
Rikapo continues to lead the Scout Program (now under the management of the Grevy’s Zebra Trust) with 21 Scouts under his supervision. In addition to managing the Scouts’ data collection, training and data entry, Rikapo also facilitates regular awareness meetings with communities and is one of Kenya’s most powerful Ambassadors for the species. He is the person on the ground who is assigned to assessing and implementing emergency response efforts as they arise - some examples include the 2006 anthrax outbreak, the 2009 drought and the current drought of January 2011. It is thanks to his unwavering commitment to reverse the situation for Grevy’s zebra that the Grevy’s Zebra Scout Program was built, has expanded, and continues to run successfully today. In recognition of his incredible efforts, Rikapo was selected for the prestigious Disney Conservation Hero award in 2009.
David Muriira, Driver
David Muriira comes from an area close to the town of Meru next to Mt Kenya. David joined the Grevy’s Zebra Trust as driver in August 2007. David has taken exceptional care of the Trust’s Land Cruiser, which does over 3,000 km per month over extremely rough terrain and yet remains in excellent condition thanks to David’s care-taking.
Under their supervision is a dedicated team of field staff employed from local communities in the capacity of Grevy’s Zebra Scouts & Ambassadors.
Contacts
Grevy’s Zebra Trust
PO Box 15351-00509
Nairobi
Kenya
Email: conservation@grevyszebratrust.org
