Northern Rangeland Trust

About

The Northern Rangeland Trust (NRT) is a membership organisation owned and led by the 39 community conservancies it serves in northern and coastal Kenya. NRT was established as a shared resource to help build and develop community conservancies, which are best positioned to enhance people’s lives, build peace and conserve the natural environment.

Approach and impact

In Kenya, conservation has for many years been male dominated. NRT and its partners52 are keen on mainstreaming gender in environmental conservation and livelihood development by integrating a gender equality perspective at all stages and levels of policies, programmes and projects, both internally and in member conservancies.

The EIB, through its Clean Oceans Initiative Project Identification and Preparation Programme (COPIP) targeting sub-Saharan Africa has been working with the women leading the clean-up of plastic waste from beaches to identify and prepare an investment project in the Kiunga Community Conservancy. Discussion are ongoing between NRT and Okavango Capital Partners (an impact fund aimed at generating commercial returns, nature conservation and rural livelihood improvements in innovative businesses in East and Southern Africa) to invest in promoting sustainable farming practices and alternative livelihood strategies in important ecosystems, with a strong dedicated gender programme supporting women in their entrepreneurial ventures.