Marine conservationist puts Kenya’s name on list of honour

By Philip Mwakio

Marine conservationist Volker Bassen has helped position Kenya on the international marine conservation map by bagging two prestigious awards for short underwater films.

Bassen’s was last year awarded for the best short documentary and the best conservation message for his 15-minute video shot off the Kenyan South Coast on the whale shark.

The ceremony, held last year in Manila, Philippines, celebrates achievements in marine conservation. Among the panelists were Peter Scooner, producer of Blue Planet, a BBC programme as well as David Dubilet, an award winning photographer with the National Geographic Society.

Some of Bassen’s wide range of underwater videos have been taken up by leading television channels like ESPN, BBC, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel.

Commendation

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Based at Diani Beach, the East African Whale Shark Trust (EAWST) founded by Bassen and his wife Nimu Njonjo, has been commended at many international conservation for a for their work in saving the whale shark.

The EAWST aims to provide a research centre for collecting and analysing data on the local whale shark population, its habits and movements.

The Trust works closely with other regional and international organisations because whale sharks are migratory.

Under international law, whale sharks are only given a secondary type of protection. They are listed under CITES Appendix II meaning that trade in whale sharks is allowed but must be monitored.

Bassen says lthough relatively little is known about this spotted giant of the ocean, most specialists agree that the level of protection is not enough.

The overall aim of many whale shark projects is to raise awareness about its endangered status so that the level of protection afforded to whale shark is increased.

Protection level

"The more we know about whale sharks the easier it will be to review the level of protection," says Bassen.

"Whale sharks have called Kenyan waters home for many years, we have an obligation to protect them," he says.

He says lately there has been a significant increase in sightings of whale sharks in Kenya which is perhaps related to the post El Nino invasion mantis shrimps, their main food.

"The increase in whale sharks along the Kenyan coast has meant that they have become more of a target," he says.