Collecting sand dune forest tree seeds for planting

As the year begins, the ASSETS programme also has a major role to play in Conservation - the core purpose that we as the A Rocha Kenya team have with the rare and often threatened local flora and fauna.  This part of the programme involves the community members around Arabuko-Sokoke Forest and Mida Creek. They take part in tree planting activities, first through maintaining a tree nursery from which seedlings will be taken for forest enrichment in some parts of the forest that have been severely degraded due to cutting and burning of the forest. Yesterday the ASSETS Conservation Assistant, Bimbo Msafiri, was collecting some seeds from the indigenous sand dune forest Mimusops obstifolia (Mng’ambo kapehe in the local language) for the nursery from our very own tree in the grounds of Mwamba Field Study Centre. The buildings were originally built in amongst the mature sand dune forest that once stretched the entire length of the Watamu headland but for which there are only pockets remaining. We're privileged to still have some of that forest around the house and in our nature trail.

IMG_0533 Bimbo under the Mimusops tree having collected fallen seeds...

IMG_0534Seeds of the Mimusops obtusifolia for the tree nursery