Earth Equity News

Community Engagement is Key to Saving the Rarest Zebra. By Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com, September 14, 2009. "Efforts to protect the world's largest and rarest species of zebra -- Grévy's Zebra -- hinge on engaging communities to lead conservation in their region, says Belinda Low, Executive Director of the Nairobi-based Grevy's Zebra Trust... Thought to number less than 3,000 individuals, Grevy's Zebra is primarily endangered due to degradation of its arid and semi-arid grass and shrubland habitat, increased hunting due to an influx of automatic weapons, and disease, which is exacerbated by loss of quality habitat. Its range includes an active conflict zone in southern Ethiopia and some parts of northern Kenya, a factor that has historically complicated conservation efforts... 'There is a risk to Grevy's zebra from climate change because already the rangelands which they depend on are rapidly deteriorating. If rainfall becomes more erratic and decreases, our work to rehabilitate rangelands becomes even more challenging,' said Ms. Low."