Kilimanjaro Lion Conservation Project

Category: General | Date: Jul 12 2008 | By: Seamus

Weekends are traditionally slow news days. I think I can afford to digress a little…

 Firstly, JO sent me a link to a short review of the Baisikeli project. Its worth taking a look at the video that describes what these folks do.

Having found a way to “recycle” mobile phones from the west, for use in lion conservation, of course I’m interested in other channels of redistribution of consumer surplus from the west. I like the look of this project both from the perspective of keeping material out of landfills (environmentalism) and the transfer of skills and technology from west (north) to “south”. I’m glad to see that the baisikeli folks insist on landing fully functional machines at their destination, in much that same way that we only accept old mobile phones that still work, or need only minor repairs.

I do have a few concerns about the idea of taking bicycles from the far reaches of wazunguland and implanting them in the somewhat different demanding conditions of east africa. But on the whole I like the idea.