To celebrate the New Year, we kick off 2023 with some wild & wonderful news. We just launched our 2nd regeneration project in Kilifi, Coastal Kenya. The establishment of the Cha Simba Relics Regeneration Project.
Alongside our local partners, The LEAF, and the Cha Simba Caves Association's 40+ smallholder farmers, we helped build a vital community resource. An indigenous plant & tree nursery. With capacity to grow up to 3,000 seeds a month, we are humbled by the benefits. Improved ecosystem resilience, community income generation and a renaissance of ancient plant medicine wisdom.
A hill top oasis just north of Mombasa, Cha Simba is a biodiversity sanctuary under threat from local mining explorations. It is home to magnificent limestone cave systems, related bat colonies and rare fauna & flora. 30 plant species clinging to Cha Simba rocky outcrop are classified as threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. For example the endemic & iconic plant, African Violet Saintpaulia. Recent archeological discoveries nearby also reveal some of the oldest, mystical burial sites (78,000 years old) on the continent.
The Cha Simba smallholder communities are the custodians of this sacred relic. Living in harmony with the forest, it is their ancient wisdom and practices we aim to protect & restore. To achieve this objective, we focus on delivering adequate training & support, water, the viability of seeds and availability of materials to allow other community members to join the regeneration.
In late December, LEAF held a training day for the community covering nursery operations & management including:
❖ Seed collection
❖ Seed germination
❖ Potting and repotting seedlings
❖ Soil preparation
❖ Composting & mulching
❖ Record keeping (phenological surveys and seedling data)
❖ Arrangement of the saplings and tagging
Aside from the construction of a plant nursery and seed germination bed, Star Seed and The LEAF donated tools & equipment to help the stewardship of their resources.
We would like to thank The LEAF for their continued efforts to help restore coastal biodiversity corridors with local communities. And also a big thanks to our conscious Star Seed Tribe for continuing to support Star Seed. Together we can heal the soil, strengthen human health & regenerate the natural world.
Thank you for joining the regeneration.
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