Grevy’s zebra and lions in northern Kenya are due to face unprecedented impacts from linear infrastructure due to the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor, which will cut across the region over the next decade. This economic development corridor will contain three components: an oil pipeline, vehicle highway and railway.

There is a critical window of opportunity to mainstream ecological sustainability into LAPSSET upfront such that Kenya is held up as a global example of best practice. To achieve this, skills and collaboration need to be enhanced across the environmental and infrastructure sectors. GZT and Ewaso Lions consider dialogue and training an upstream solution which will have an impact on multiple landscapes in Kenya.

LAPSSET will travel through 319 km of the current core range of Grevy’s zebra in Samburu and Isiolo, an area that holds an estimated 1,680 Grevy’s zebra, which represents 55% of the global population.

Through robust consultation with the oil pipeline consortium (Africa Oil, Tullow, Total), the oil pipeline has been rerouted away from a core breeding area for Grevy’s zebra in Meibae Conservancy, with an additional 4 km of pipeline added to its 820 km total length. This rerouting was based on the Grevy’s Zebra Scout and Ambassador sightings showing where the pipeline will intersect critical areas for Grevy’s zebra. GZT developed a data sharing agreement with Africa Oil who incorporated it into the consortium’s pipeline planning phase.

Our joint program also facilitated a tour for Samburu and Isiolo conservancy, reserve and county representatives to the railway development south of Nairobi to learn lessons from the project. The results were disseminated by a community working group on infrastructure.

At the invitation of the Deputy Governor of Samburu County, our jointly funded Landscape Infrastructure Advisor made a presentation to senior county representatives to highlight the expected impacts of LAPSSET on biodiversity and pastoralism in Samburu County. Grevy’s zebra was highlighted as a flagship species for the county, requiring robust protection measures in light of infrastructure development.