African Environmental Film Foundation - Inspiration Films: Environmental Education, Africa

"Inspiration" Films: currently in production

Mara Conservancy: The Mara in western Kenya is the northern range of one of today's greatest wildlife migrations in the world. Two million wildebeest, a million zebra and hundreds of thousands of other animals migrate from the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania into the Mara area for part of each year. Like so many places of natural wonder in the world, the Mara faces severe pressure from human activities. It is therefore all the more remarkable that a group of conservationists formed the Mara Conservancy, incorporating the regional Council members and other local stakeholders, thereby creating a very successful organisation, where significant revenue is now gained from tourism in this protected wildlife area. This is truly a success story and may inspire communities living in other parts of the Mara ecosystem (and indeed further afield) to follow suit.

Kuruwitu Community Marine Area near Mombasa, Kenya: Kuruwitu is a ten kilometre stretch of beautiful Kenya coastline. Until now the reef, like so much coastline, has been exploited for its marine life to the extent that hardly anything survives there any more, including the corals. A group of local people finally had enough of the situation, and decided to stop anyone from fishing or removing coral (although, in reality, to begin with they had no legal right to do so). Since then they have prevailed upon the Government to declare the area a Reserve and with the financial help of the East African Wildlife Society, they have employed guards to stop anyone from fishing or removing any marine life. This represents a very important step towards protecting marine resources all the way along the coast. It has been proved worldwide that the best way to INCREASE marine catches is to create No-Fishing Zones between fishing grounds where fish can breed safely and then migrate out to the fishing areas. Already some fish species have increased at Kuruwitu, and this year there are nine turtle nesting sites which are due to hatch imminently.

Watamu Turtle Watch, Kenya: This is an example of how a small dedicated NGO can can persuade people against the wanton destruction of marine life, in this case turtles. By example and by training they are instilling in the local fishermen an understanding of turtles and the role they play in the overall marine environment. To date they have rescued over two thousand turtles.

Koiyaki Training School and Wilderness Camp, Kenya: This is a special school set up to train the local people of the Maasai Mara area in the art of guiding visitors around the wildlife areas. From next year a Wildlife Management Course will be included in the curriculum. The Wilderness Camp, right next to the school, generates revenue from eco-tourism and the school produces qualified field guides and ecologists. This is a very special project and vitally important for educating local people about generating revenue from their wildlife. Ultimately, with tourism providing employment for the youth, the local wildlife becomes a financial necessity and a beneficial part of everyday life, which may be the key to the conservation of all wildlife and natural habitat in the future.

Community at southern end of Aberdare Mountains, Kenya: Here a local community has declared a rain forest area as off-limits to tree-cutting. This is another example of local people becoming aware of the need to conserve their environment to safeguard their own future. This community now receives funding support from the European Union, allowing them to employ guards to patrol the forest against poachers and charcoal burners. This film can help other communities learn how to partner with international organizations, many of whom do not know how to go about this, even if the will to conserve their environment is there.

Taveta Environmental Trust, Kenya: James Maina, a mechanic by trade who lives in Taveta, a dusty village on the Tanzania/Kenya border, woke up one day to find no water in his taps. On further investigation, a whole new world opened up to him. There was no water because the local ground water forest had been destroyed and the remaining riverine trees had been cut down, there was rampant erosion in the area and people further up the river were diverting all the water for agriculture. He left his garage and started a tree nursery. He now sells trees to make a living and understands that his children rely on his efforts in more ways than one.

Wildlife Clubs, Kenya: These clubs were started many years ago by an American lady. Any school can enrol in the Wildlife Clubs and become part of the overall organisation. What started as a one-off event has blossomed into a national institution. In addition to the headquarters, where short courses in environmental issues are taught to visiting school groups, mobile units show AEFF films to over two million children each year. A film showing how and what the Clubs do will encourage many other schools to join and could double their membership within months. This is a real chance to unite millions of children behind the conservation effort.

Bee-Man, Kenya: Local bee-men are famous in their communities for their traditional ways of honey-gathering. In reality, their methods of collecting honey is very destructive to the survival of bees (which are vital for pollinating food crops). In addition to showing the fascinating actions of the tribal bee-men, this film will illustrate more modern and more productive ways of recovering honey at a sustainable level. This will link with the planned film about the importance of insects in a healthy ecosystem.