In a tranche of razed forest bordering the Masai Mara wildlife reserve, a team of rangers scatter generous handfuls of “seedballs” around the bald clearing to give nature a fighting chance to regenerate. It takes just minutes for the eight rangers from the Mara Elephant Project, a conservation group, to toss some 22,000 seedballs across this ravaged corner of the Nyakweri forest. Developed by Seedballs Kenya, the casing of charcoal dust protects the seed inside from being eaten by mice, birds or insects before it germinates. The shell is semi-porous, giving it a fighting chance even in arid conditions. Trees were felled en masse by colonial administrators to fuel a train across East Africa, while land today is cleared for agriculture and charcoal production as Kenya’s population grows upward and outward. The forests bordering the Masai Mara, the legendary wildlife haven and savannah wilderness in the country’s southwest, are no exception, chipped away for pasture, crops and charcoal, a cheap fuel. Developed by Seedballs Kenya, the casing of charcoal dust protects the seed inside from being eaten by mice, birds or insects before it germinates. The shell is semi-porous, giving it a fighting chance even in arid conditions.
SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS
More Stories
MTN Hacked Just as it Launches Mobile Payments in Nigeria
Tanzania, like Many other African Countries, Wants to Stop Depending on Fertiliser from Russia
Equipping African and Africa-focused Startups with PR Tools
Zimbabwean Fishing Communities Fear for Future as Stocks Dwindle
South Africa Still Far from Fair Digital Migration
Pan African Parliament President Elected
Ethiopian Farmers Face a Double-edged Sword
Germany To Return Goddess Statue that was Stolen from Cameroon 120 Years Ago
Lumumba’s Family Closes a Painful Chapter
40 African Cities Feature on the 2021 Cost of Living City Ranking List
A Mangrove Project is the Star of Kenya’s Gazi Bay
Not Enough Females Operating in the African Venture Capital Space