22/05/2026
Happy International Day for Biological Diversity 2026! 🌍🌿
This year’s official global theme is “Acting locally for global impact”
At the Merti Integrated Development Programme (MID-P), we see the truth of this message every single day along the Ewaso Ng'iro River landscape.
Successfully halting and reversing biodiversity loss hinges on our ability to empower local actors.
In Northern Kenya, our biodiversity and the pastoral communities who depend on it are facing an unprecedented ecological crisis. The invasive Prosopis juliflora (locally known as Mathenge) is on the run, aggressively overtaking our native shrublands and grasslands.
The scale of the threat is staggering: 💧 A single Mathenge tree consumes up to 36 liters of water per day, with tap roots plunging as deep as 53 meters to drain vital groundwater 📈 Between 2017 and 2024 alone, this thirsty invader expanded by an astonishing 706.1 km² (174,480 acres) in the Lower Ewaso Ng'iro ecosystem—an area almost the size of Nairobi County!
🏜️ The result? Severe water scarcity, the drying up of downstream wetlands like the Lorian Swamp, and the displacement of native species that wildlife and livestock urgently need to survive.
But our communities are fighting back. ✊
Through the Community Led Actions on Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation (CLEAR) project, supported by the Reversing the Flow initiative, we are shifting the paradigm.
Instead of top-down management, we are putting financial resources and decision-making power directly into the hands of grassroots organizations and Ward Planning Committees.
By fusing rich Indigenous knowledge with modern restoration science, local communities are leading the charge to:
🌱 Clear invasive Mathenge thickets and execute comprehensive landscape restoration plans.
🤝 Connect upstream and downstream users through the Annual Camel Caravan Walk to advocate for peaceful resource sharing and ecosystem conservation.
💧 Secure clean water, protect pastoral livelihoods, and build long-term climate resilience.
Today, we invite you to Look and Learn, Connect and Act, and Share
When we empower local communities to safeguard their natural environment, we don't just secure their future, we contribute to global biodiversity goals
Let’s stop Mathenge on the run. Our Land. Our Water. Our Future. 🌍
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