2023 was a year of immense growth for Big Life.

The previous year was defined by a devastating drought that stretched our resources thin as we fought to protect the most vulnerable parts of our ecosystem. We succeeded, thanks to the generous support of our donors.

Since then, we have received good rains, and wildlife populations are recovering. The relief that came with the rains has allowed us to redouble our efforts to protect critical habitat areas. At the request of local communities, we are heavily involved in helping to develop land use plans that protect the overall health of the ecosystem. We are also actively working to secure the most heavily-used wildlife migration corridors, protecting them from development via conservation leases. This includes the Nairrabala corridor north of Amboseli National Park, as well as areas in Mbirikani, Kimana and Eselengei.

In the meantime, our ranger teams are expanding and focusing on keeping wildlife and wild lands safe from illegal activity. This includes mitigating human-wildlife conflict, preventing poaching, arresting traffickers, and supporting wildlife rescues. It also means preventing illegal land development and habitat destruction. As always, our rangers are stepping up to the challenges that a changing landscape is handing to us.

In some cases, our success creates new challenges. A thriving lion population is testing the boundaries of our predator protection programs, and despite any setbacks we experienced in 2023, we have come out the other side stronger with renewed commitments from the community for lion conservation. The lion population now numbers more than 250, a dramatic improvement from when we started our Predator Compensation Fund 20 years ago, when there were as few as 20 lions in the ecosystem.

None of our work protecting the Greater Amboseli ecosystem is possible without you, our donors. Thank for you for helping to keep our boots on the ground and eyes on the horizon.
 
Sincerely,
 
Richard Bonham, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman
Craig Millar, Chief Operating Officer
Benson Leyian, Chief Executive Officer
Big Life Kenya

Read the Full 2023 Impact Report

Photo: Jeremy Goss