How Char2Cool Biochar and Technology helps CCV volunteers save the Grey-crowned Crane from extinction.
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Brief Cranes breed at Lake Ol'Bolossat
When our partner Cranes Conservation Volunteers (CCV) started their work at Lake Ol’Bolossat in Kenya in 2014, there were only a few fledged young cranes. Poaching was only eliminated with educational work and by the 2018/2019 breeding season, the number of fledgling young cranes had risen to 94. Everyone thought the cranes were over the hill.
"The first thing a community wants to talk about is where they can get food, or where they can find a job, or good medical care."
CCVs are local volunteers who want to protect the endangered crowned crane. Among others, the NABU (Naturschutzbund Deutschland) supports them in this. The protection consists mainly of persuading the local population to stop poaching. The inhabitants of Bahati-Village are from the Turkanas tribe. A minority among the Kikuyu living there. And, as is often the case with minorities, socially and economically disadvantaged.
However, the latest figures on the breeding success of the Grey-crowned Crane at Lake Ol’Bolossat are alarming. Only a few chicks fledged in this breeding season. But that’s not because of poaching! The villain is the water weed Salvinia molesta.
For about 2 years, the water weeds have been spreading rapidly on the lake. It was introduced by waterfowl and multiplies because there are so many nutrients in the lake. There are no sewage treatment plants and erosion brings additional nutrients.
Within only 2 years, the number of fledgling young cranes plummeted.
Because: Salvinia molesta has completely displaced the reeds, the retreat of the cranes, in many places. There is no longer any privacy screen. Many adult cranes no longer breed at all. And the few crane chicks are defenceless because they can no longer hide.
If you want to know exact details, you can find them in the pdf attached. A report by George Muigai, founder, chairman and motor of Cranes Conservation Volunteers on the development of the number of young cranes in the last 8 years.
You can’t get rid of the Salvinia. The plants simply grow too fast and there are always too many nutrients. The CCV volunteers were at a loss.
Protecting crowned cranes with Salvinia biochar
C2C supports CCV to turn the Salvinia into biochar. In October 2021, Walter from C2C was on site in Kenya to make the first charring, composting and planting trials with the “new” water weed. That worked.
With the use of Salvinia at Lake Ol’Bolossat, we kill several birds with one stone: The Salvinia is weeded, the cranes can breed again, the Turkanas can build up a business through the production of biochar and compost and/or grow their vegetables in their own backyard gardens with fertile black soil and thus create more prosperity for the residents.
This is the plan for the next steps.
Then we will also select shore areas and resettle the reeds there. We don’t know how to do that yet. But we’ll find out.
We need money for this because we have to pay the people on the ground.
With your CO2 compensation or donation, we will make it happen.
Thank you for that.
