Training:
Kenya course & information
TBA courses in Mpala and Elsamere Field Studies Centre, Kenya
Mpala Research Centre
The initial part of the course will be at the Mpala Research Centre (MRC). This facility is located in Laikipia District, Central Kenya Northwest of Mt. Kenya, 50km from Nanyuki town. MRC is a facility for scientific research, education, and training, emphasizing environmental sciences, biodiversity conservation, and natural resources management. The vegetation is characteristic of semiarid African savanna predominantly grassy savanna bushland, with patches of woodland and open grassland. An estimated 800 plant species occur in Mpala. Mpala also hosts abundant wildlife and currently 85 mammal species and at least 300 bird species can be found here.
At Mpala, you will be accommodated in a tented camp right beside the benign Ewaso Ngiro River. A shared shower facility is available that has both cold and hot water. A tented dining area will be available at the campsite. There will be a well-equipped laboratory and library for basic research at the main MRC facility for use during the course.
Elsamere Field Study Centre
The second part of the course will be held at Elsamere Field Studies Centre (EFSC). The centre is set amid Acacia woodland and situated on the shores of Lake Naivasha in Kenya's rift valley. EFSC forms part of Elsamere, a residential lakeside facility for conservationists and researchers which was established by the Elsa Conservation Trust. The main house was built by the late Joy Adamson, the famous author and artist, who left it in trust for the furtherance of conservation in Kenya. 
The centre has a fully equipped lecture room which we convert into a computer room using the TBA laptops. We are also given a small lab to use for the duration of the course.
Accommodation at Elsamere will be comfortable but somewhat cramped. You will sleep in small single or double rooms in blocks housing up to 6 people, and meals will be provided by the centre. Hot water will be available in all the blocks at certain times of day.
About Lake Naivasha
Lake Naivasha is situated in central Kenya and is part of a chain of lakes dotted along the eastern Rift Valley. At 1,890m, it is the highest of all the Rift Valley lakes and unusual in remaining fresh. The vegetation of Naivasha is directly affected by the lake levels. Much of the shore is currently infringed with dense stands of feathery papyrus, Cyperus Papyrus , with floating mats of water hyacinth on the open water. Interactions between the lake and its catchment is manifested in the lake's water levels and quality and this has a direct influence on the lake's ecology.
Naivasha supports a very diverse bird fauna; 80-90 species of water birds are regularly recorded during annual censuses and another 300 or so species have been sighted in the surrounding areas. The Acacia woodlands surrounding the lake are particularly rich. Hippos are abundant in the lake and emerge to graze around its shores in the evenings and regularly visit the EFSC.
Hell's Gate National Park
Situated about 4 miles from Elsamere, this small park is bordered by intensive farming on one side and the grazing lands of the Maasai pastoralists on the other. The gorge within the park (Naivasha's former outflow) is spectacular, with towering 120m high columnar cliffs and two impressive volcanic plugs that stand as towers. The vegetation is a mix of grassland, woodland and scrub, and a variety of large mammals inhabit the area.
Course Structure
The first week of the course at Mpala Research Centre introduces local flora and fauna during identification workshops and field exercises. Evening lectures and seminars cover selected topics in tropical ecology, focusing on the expertise of the teaching staff present. The second half of the course at EFSC will involve short excursions to nearby projects including regular teaching outings to Hell's Gate National Park. This part of the course is also devoted to independent research projects carried out in pairs. Projects are written up in full and presented to the class as short research papers. Evening lectures and research talks continue throughout. We expect you will find the course intensive but since you may not get an opportunity to learn about tropical ecology in such a unique setting again, we think we should make the most of the time you have available.
Project reports
Below are the abstracts of all students projects that were carried out in Kenya on previous TBA courses. Click on the subject matter to view.
Birds (pdf)
Botany (pdf)
Invertebrates (pdf)
Mammals (pdf)
People, ethnobotany and tourism (pdf)
Waterholes (pdf)
Draft timetable
This course timetable for Kenya is an example taken from a previous course. The structure and contents of each course are different and dependant on the area of expertise of the core teachers and visiting lecturers present. Please use this as an overall guide not as the definite programme.
Kenya course timetable (pdf)
Course guide
Here is the general introduction course guide
Here is the course guide for Kenya.