Our Work

Kilimanyika is a partnership, set up and managed by two consultants and is supported by associate consultants. Our work is informed particularly by our knowledge and experience of practical approaches to natural resource management that incorporate the desires, objectives and capacities of individuals, organisations and communities.

We have completed projects and consultancies lasting from two weeks to eighteen months, and have worked in and around national parks (marine, lakeshore and terrestrial), conservancies, group ranches, private estates, wildlife corridors, village lands and smallholdings.

Our Name

Our name, Kilimanyika, draws on the Swahili words Kilima (hill, denoting mountains and highlands) and Nyika (wilderness, denoting plains, bushlands and rangelands) to symbolise the variety of land and natural resources at the core of our work.

The name reflects the African origin of our partnership, and that much of our work to date has been within East Africa, and typically working in the Swahili language, or in the UK related to natural resources management and African issues.

However, the need for sustainable approaches to natural resource utilisation is universal, and our approach is applicable across the developing world.

Our Mission

Kilimanyika promotes both social and economic development and environmental conservation in a holistic approach. Historically, there has been a lack of overlap between the two, with different objectives, methods and underlying philosophies making it difficult to find synergy.

Our experience in Africa has shown us that efforts to promote one approach over another are futile in the longer term. Kilimanyika provides a bridge between the development view, the conservationist view, the community view, and the private investors view.

Sustainability is key to Kilimanyika's operations. Sustainable economic development must be anchored in responsible and efficient use of natural resources. In our experience, poverty and land ownership issues are frequently at the root of environmental degradation, and vice versa.

Our Approach

Our work with stakeholders provides them with both established and alternative ways of improving their land utilisation opportunities and increasing their livelihood prospects.

We offer bespoke services and practical solutions to our clients. The approach we take is flexible and tailored, based on thorough assessment and consultation. We work within differing agendas and political, social and economic values and realities.

We work with and bring together communities, development practitioners, environmental experts, private investors, businesses, and government representatives. Where there is conflict, we mediate and facilitate dialogue between parties.

Our work is grounded in understanding the specific environmental, infrastructural, socio-economic and political contexts of a consultancy. This entails finding practical solutions based on client or stakeholder assets, aspirations and competencies, alongside limitations.

Incorporating technological innovations, improving management and communication, enabling private sector investment and establishing small-scale production and income generation activities are core aspects of this approach.