The Milgis Trust core area is located in northern Kenya within the drainage of the Matthews Range, Ndoto Mountains and Karisia Hills and spreading out towards Oldonyo Mara, Mount Nyiru and Mount Kulal. The Trust covers approximately 8,000 sq kms and supports a diverse range of flora and fauna and the pastoral livelihoods of several different ethnic groups including the Samburu, Turkana and Rendille.
As a result of growing insecurity leading to the poaching of wildlife and over-extraction of declining natural resources, the Milgis Trust was established in 2004. Its mission is:
To sustain the wildlife, habitat and the pastoral peoples’ way of life in northern Kenya.
The Trust has the following objectives:
- To provide security and communications to the area for the protection of wildlife;
- To address the destruction of natural resources;
- To increase local awareness of resource conservation among affiliated pastoral communities;
- To support and enhance access to education for the pastoral communities in this remote region;
- To facilitate access for pastoral communities to specialised healthcare by hosting medical clinics;
- To strengthen the partnership between the Trust and the pastoral communities in the region so that future generations can continue to conserve this area;
The continued presence on the ground of Helen Douglas-Dufresne and Peter Ilsley, who have gained an in-depth knowledge of the area and its people from their walking safaris with camels over many years, means that the Trust’s field operations are well-coordinated.