In November 2005, Mark Avery of Shell Chemicals Limited in London went to Kenya's stunning Rift Valley and joined a conservation project at Lake Naivasha, a majestic freshwater lake under threat from the local flower-growing industry, rising tourist numbers and a booming population.
Mark, who is the Shell Chemicals e-business lead for Europe and Africa, helped monitor the varied wildlife sustained by the 100-square kilometre lake. It is the only freshwater lake within Kenya's part of the Rift Valley and has unique ecological and economic importance for the region.
The trip gave Mark a chance to get close to hippos and magnificent birds of prey while also opening his eyes to the harsh living conditions faced by one of the world's poorest nations.
Mark returned to London after 16 days in Kenya. Here he describes some of the highlights of the project, which was run by the non-governmental organisation Earthwatch.
Making a difference
Many people have a negative perception of the oil and chemical sectors, but this trip gave me an opportunity to demonstrate that we can back sustainable development projects that really make a difference.
The conservation project at Lake Naivasha has been running for 18 years and has made a strong contribution to the understanding and management of what really is a precious resource. It looks at the dynamics of the biology of the lake so it can advise on its conservation and restoration.
The lake is under threat from the activities of flower farmers around its shores. Twelve Boeing 747-loads of flowers leave the area every week, bound for supermarkets in the UK and the Netherlands.
As a result of the success of both the farming and tourism industry, there has been a local population explosion. A fifty-fold increase over the last thirty years has pushed the population up to around 350,000 people. This means there is an ever-increasing demand for water for sanitation and drinking, and the rise in human activity and building has caused soil to erode and silt up parts of the lake. At the same time, over-fishing and poaching have severely depleted the lake's fish population.
Fins and feathers
Part of the conservation work I did involved catching fish, taking water samples and recording depth measurements. This sounds straightforward but we had to be careful of the herds of sometimes angry hippos that also inhabit the lake!
We netted fish and crayfish which were then sexed, weighed and measured. The large carp were gutted – an extremely messy and unpleasant task - and samples taken for toxicology studies. The fish were then eaten, so nothing went to waste.
Another indication of the lake's health is the size of the local bird population. We spent a lot of time spotting and identifying Fish Eagles, which sit at the top of the local food chain. The good news is that the number of pairs identified has increased since the previous measurement.
We got even closer to another bird of prey, the Augur Buzzard, using harmless traps to capture and ring them. It was very exciting catching and then being able to hold these beautiful birds. However, they are very strong and you always have to watch out for talons and beaks!
Finally, we spent time collecting and identifying beetles, which are another major indicator of the health of the local ecosystem.
Basic struggles
As well as helping to preserve the local environment, I got to visit a couple of schools to see what conditions are like for Kenyan children. As you can imagine, they're pretty poor. In one school, 900 pupils were being supported by only four teachers.
Before leaving London I collected money, equipment and stationery - some of which was donated by Shell Chemicals staff - to pass on to schools and orphanages. The children were incredibly grateful for simple things like pencils and pens - the sort of stuff we take entirely for granted. The money I collected was given to an orphanage that is trying to get connected to the local electricity grid so it can have lighting and other basic amenities installed.
Although we see numerous media reports on underprivileged people in Africa, being there yourself really brings home the reality of what it is like to be very poor and to struggle for the basics like an education.
Trying to balance these social issues with environmental concerns is very important for Kenya's future and the project I supported is trying to do that.
It also gave me a great opportunity to make a real contribution towards Sustainable Development, which as an individual in a big company you don't always feel is possible.
