A Rocha Kenya (ARK) is based in Watamu, a village in the Kenyan coastal district of Malindi, 100 km north of Mombasa, where we operate our conservation programmes out of a residential centre, Mwamba.

Malindi District is home to some of the richest and most diverse habitats in the whole of Kenya - 10% of Kenya’s Important Bird Areas, considered internationally important for bird conservation, are found within a 30 km radius of Malindi. These include Arabuko-Sokoke Forest which is the largest remnant of dry coastal forest in East Africa and considered to be one of the most important forests for bird conservation in mainland Africa. It also includes Mida Creek, considered one of the most productive mangrove ecosystems on earth and of international importance for some of its bird species, and the Sabaki River Mouth with thousands of waders, gulls and terns regularly found on it.

Despite the richness and diversity of local habitats in this area, an exploding population and desperately high levels of poverty are putting a huge strain on the delicate relationship between the local people and the surrounding environment.

By working with the local communities, A Rocha Kenya aims to achieve the long-term conservation of threatened habitats and species in the Malindi-Watamu area. ARK was formally established in 1999 and opened the Mwamba Bird Observatory and Field Study Centre in Watamu in 2002.

A Rocha Kenya’s work focuses on four main areas:

• Environmental Education
• Community Conservation
• Scientific Research
• Mwamba Field Study Centre & Bird Observatory