The Ileret Bird Club and the First Turkanan Lake Bird Guide (Kenya): A Community-Based Ornithology Experience

Sara Fraixedas holds a PhD in ecology and is a researcher at CREAF. Her work focuses on the development of biodiversity indicators and the integration of local knowledge into participatory conservation projects. She has worked in several countries, including Kenya, Costa Rica, Finland, and Spain, and collaborates with the ICO on research and editorial work.

In her talk, she will present a local project launched in northern Kenya, which was supported by the proceeds from ticket sales at the 2021 Delta Birding Festival.

The Ileret Bird Club was founded in 2019 as a result of collaboration between Catalan researchers and the local Daasanach community. Building on the community’s deep knowledge of local birdlife, the project promotes environmental education and participatory conservation. One of its main initiatives has been the co-creation of a bird guide with club members, designed both for species identification and to support literacy learning.

The project highlights the value of local knowledge, fosters interest in biodiversity, and helps reduce educational inequalities, particularly among women. It also aims to encourage future participation in platforms such as eBird, enabling the local population to contribute new bird observations and helping to fill major knowledge gaps about species found in one of the most remote and little-known regions of the African continent: the eastern shore of Lake Turkana.

Sara Fraixedas holds a PhD in ecology and is a researcher at CREAF. Her work focuses on the development of biodiversity indicators and the integration of local knowledge into participatory conservation projects. She has worked in several countries, including Kenya, Costa Rica, Finland, and Spain, and collaborates with the ICO on research and editorial work.

In her talk, she will present a local project launched in northern Kenya, which was supported by the proceeds from ticket sales at the 2021 Delta Birding Festival.

The Ileret Bird Club was founded in 2019 as a result of collaboration between Catalan researchers and the local Daasanach community. Building on the community’s deep knowledge of local birdlife, the project promotes environmental education and participatory conservation. One of its main initiatives has been the co-creation of a bird guide with club members, designed both for species identification and to support literacy learning.

The project highlights the value of local knowledge, fosters interest in biodiversity, and helps reduce educational inequalities, particularly among women. It also aims to encourage future participation in platforms such as eBird, enabling the local population to contribute new bird observations and helping to fill major knowledge gaps about species found in one of the most remote and little-known regions of the African continent: the eastern shore of Lake Turkana.