At the foot of the Aberdare mountains in Kenya, about an hour’s drive to Lake Naivasha, a youth group is encouraging farmers to preserve the grasslands to conserve the Sharpe’s Longclaw bird species. The Njambini Wool Crafters buy wool from these farmers to ensure they generate income through sheep-keeping. The group produces yarns made of raw sheep wool. These yarns are sold to curio shop operators or woven into blankets, carpets, rugs, throw blankets, scarves, shawls, and socks.
Samuel Bakari, an ecologist with the Friends of Kinangop Plateau, told the Africa Climate Conversations that in 2000 BirdLife international records showed between 10-20,000 mature Sharpe’s longclaw birds in Kenya. Today over 20 years later, Bakari says this number has reduced to less than 2000 individuals.
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