OPERATIONAL area
Nyekweri ecosystem
We have a rare and urgent opportunity to secure 25,000 acres of critical pangolin habitat.
The Pangolin Project is working in a unique area on the west side of the Maasai Mara National Reserve - the Nyekweri Forest. This area is an eastern remnant of Congo-Guinea forest and is home to the only known population of Giant Ground Pangolins in Kenya and is a biodiversity hotspot.
On a species level - there are more species of mammal, bird and reptiles in this area than the rest of the Great Mara Ecosystem that it lies within.
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The most biodiverse area of the entire Mara Ecosystem, Nyekweri supports at least 7 mammal species and a number of bird species that aren’t found anywhere else in the Mara ecosystem. It’s also a maternity zone, where elephants and other wildlife seek safety to give birth.
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Nyekweri is the only known area with a population of Giant Pangolin in Kenya.
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Today, less than 10% of the total forest cover remains, yet, the area is abundant with wildlife. This shows that Nyekweri’s unique and threatened biodiversity can coexist alongside local communities.
Note: This little forest cover is unsustainable in the long-run. Especially with elephants in the area.