Description of the CBT initiative:
Dunga Ecotourism and Environmental Youth Group is a youth led organization working towards the conservation of the environment and promotion of ecotourism. It was founded in the year 2002 and registered officially with the ministry of social services in 2003. The group undertakes wetland monitoring, bird watching, environmental education and awareness, boat rides, tree planting and health outreaches.
Geographic location:
Kenya, Kisumu County, Dunga Beach
What problem they are trying to solve? What have they accomplished?
- Promote environmental health through education and restoration program. Through this, we organize for environmental education and awareness during world environmental days celebrations; school outreach programs covering Dunga primary, Nanga primary, Joel Omino and Pand pieri primary schools.
- Enhance birdlife as flagship to the environment through bird watching. Birds are indicators to the state of the environment. With the decline of bird species in a habitat, it shows the level of degradation to the affected habitat. Hence bird watching is an activity carried out for conservation
- Eco tourism enhancement through boat ride and eco cultural development. Dunga is a tourism site visited by both local and international tourists. As an alternative source of livelihood, the local community engages in ecotourism to get their daily income through boat rides, crafts sale, tour guiding, birding and boardwalk
- Wetland management and sustainable use. Dunga swamp is an Important Biodiversity Area number 37 in the Kenya IBA. It is a habitat to biodiversity both flora and fauna hence need for conservation. The swamp also carries out ecological function such as flood prevention, carbon sink, reduces siltation and much more functions hence need for proper conservation efforts
- Lake disaster response and first aid. DECTTA carries out water rescue mission in partnership with Dunga Beach Management Unit. This normally as a result to lake disasters such as capsizing of boats. We are also trained by Kenya Red Cross to administer first aid services.
- Promote Environmental Education through Dunga Beach Ecology School. Dunga beach is visited by different learning institutions coming from far and wide from all corners of the country. Ecology school offers environmental education to visiting schools, colleges and universities.