There is a general global recognition that climate change constitutes the greatest environmental challenge facing the world in this century. The project area has in recent times witnessed increased pressure on natural resources – pasture, wood fuel, and water – access, use and sustainability due to population increase, land fragmentation and privatization, sale of land, competing land use practices including wildlife conservation and large-scale commercial farming, lack of a clear policy on pastoralism and weak enforcement of existing environmental laws ultimately resulting in diminished livelihoods options in the rangelands, threatening the realization of the broader goals of sustainable development.

The environmental concerns are also complicated by disregard of indigenous knowledge, practices and values system related to environmental and natural resource management

Several of our programs aim to develop mitigation and adaptation strategies for indigenous peoples in the project area. In terms of mitigation, ILEPA helped to establish a tree nursery to plant trees in desertified areas and our beekeeping programs reduce further stress on the environment by providing women with alternatives to chopping down trees for charcoal as a source of income. In parallel, our livelihood support (hyperlink to livelihood support page) programs around bee keeping and hay harvesting present adaptation strategies by providing for alternative livelihood options in times of droughts.

Additionally, ILEPA continuously works in close collaboration with the Kenyan Government, such as the National Climate Change Directorate, and other important stakeholders to make sure that indigenous peoples’ input is included in relevant climate change policies.