
Saving Our Cheeky Cousins: Baboon Conservation Tales
About Baboon Conservation
• 10 min read
Why Baboon Groups Conflict With Human Communities, and How We Solve Them.
At the turn of the last century, baboons far outnumbered people in Africa. Today, as human populations grow and land use changes, baboons are being pushed into closer contact with people. They're not endangered — yet — because they're smart and adaptable. But that very adaptability is creating conflict, which now threatens baboons (and other primates) more than habitat loss ever did. Learn more about baboons'bad reputation here.
UNBP uses science to understand human-wildlife conflict and to devise better ways to manage it:
Why do baboons eat crops (and raid homesteads)?
- Human land encroachment
- Human foods are larger and denser than natural foods
- Human foods have more nutrition
- Eating human foods takes less time
- Tradition of eating human foods
How to stop this
- Guards and chasers
- Better protection of crops
- Taste aversion conditioning
- Change crops to increase harvesting times
Why do baboons take baby goats at end of dry season and drought?
- Desire for protein
- Easy pickings
- Unattended herds and homesteads
- It becomes a tradition
How to stop this
- Researchers warn herders and households
- Local people to chase away baboons
- Local people teach baboons what doesn’t belong to them
- Human influence on behavior
UNBP's broader conservation approach includes community-centered solutions that benefit both people and wildlife.
Improving Basic Education.
UNBP raised funds to build teacher's houses at the primary school, girls and boys boarding facilities and built many nursery schools. Many of the children who attend the school go on to work with the project as para-ecologists or with other conservation projects and NGOs in East Africa. UNBP funded building and equipment when the secondary school began and thereafter.
Diversifying The Economic Base.
Communities in these areas are often extremely marginalized and poor, and even a small boost in income can help families survive droughts, feed themselves, and reduce their impact on local land and wildlife.
In Gilgil, between 1982 and 1984, the project supported a woolcraft initiative that enabled local farmers to turn livestock wool into carpets for sale, providing a new source of income.
Twala Women and Their Beautiful Beadwork.
Maasai are world famous for their beautiful beaded ornaments. UNBP is helping the Twala women's group to expand their potential for income by selling their handicrafts and networking with other efforts.
When the invasive Opuntia cactus began to spread in the region, UNBP worked with the Twala women to turn the challenge into an opportunity. Since 2008, they have been providing cactus fruit and creating a sustainable and conservation-friendly business.
Learn more about how communities are helping inconserving baboons and biodiversity here.
Curious about how wildlife conservation supports local communities? Visit the Ecotourism section to learn more.