Co-ordinated waterbird counts: the Kenyan experience

In Kenya annual waterbird counts have been carried out consistently since 1991. The counts are a collaborative effort between the National Museums of Kenya, Kenya Wildlife Service and the Kenya Wetlands Working Group. Their aim has been to train and equip Kenyan volunteers to monitor the ecological status of wetlands. At the same time, data on waterbird numbers are collected in a standard way. Focal wetland sites are the major Rift Valley lakes. Increased volunteer response and experience in counting led to the expansion of the monitoring from an initial eight sites to 26 sites in 1996. Over 500 volunteers have so far been involved and around 100 have regularly taken part. Many counters who cannot participate regularly in the main counts remain in touch and provide information on waterbird numbers in other wetland sites. The high turn-over of volunteers has created difficulties but has also generated greater awareness of the counts and the importance of wetlands. One result is increased competition for the opportunity to take part in the training. Enough counters are now trained to expand the coverage of sites further, but this is constrained by limited resources (including equipment, transport and time), difficult logistics and the organisation burden. Ensuring sustained, long-term funding for the counts also remains a problem. Experiences arising from the organisation and co-ordination of the counts over the past six years are reviewed and a future strategy is presented.