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KAKAMEGA MONKEY PROJECT

    • About
    • History
    • Objectives
    • Team
    • Field Team
    • Field Station
    • Contact
    • …  
      • About
      • History
      • Objectives
      • Team
      • Field Team
      • Field Station
      • Contact
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    KAKAMEGA MONKEY PROJECT

      • About
      • History
      • Objectives
      • Team
      • Field Team
      • Field Station
      • Contact
      • …  
        • About
        • History
        • Objectives
        • Team
        • Field Team
        • Field Station
        • Contact
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      • We investigate the behavioral

        ecology and life history of blue monkeys

        (Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni)

        living in Kakamega Forest, Kenya.

      • Initiated in 1979 by Dr. Marina Cords, the Kakamega Monkey Project is one of the longest continuously running studies of wild primates in the world. By the early 1990s, Dr. Cords had habituated two blue monkey social groups and learned to recognize individuals. These two groups have grown and fissioned into daughter groups multiple times, so we now follow nine social groups. Routine behavioral data collection on all adult females began in 2006. Over the decades, numerous students from both Kenya and abroad have received training and contributed to research with the Kakamega Monkey Project.
      • PROJECT OBJECTIVES

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        Demographic and ecological monitoring

        Our research provides insight into blue monkey life history and how vital rates vary with environmental and demographic change. For over 45 years, we have routinely recorded demographic events like births, deaths, developmental milestones, and group fissions. We also monitor ecological variables, like rainfall and plant phenology, alongside detailed feeding behaviour.

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        Behavior and biomarker research

        We collect observational data on natural blue monkey behavior to understand why some individuals are more social than others, and how sociality is tied to health and fitness. The behavioral data can be paired with metrics of physiological health derived from non-invasively collected biological samples, namely urine and feces.

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        Local capacity building

        KMP is committed to providing professional training to current and future Kenyan scientists, particularly in Kakamega County. KMP aims to bolster local capacity for scientific research, development, and policy making through initiatives like hosting undergraduate interns from local institutions providing support in grant proposal writing for local researchers, and collaborating with a local community youth group to promote science mentorship.

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        Conservation and education

        KMP actively supports conservation and conservation education through its founding of and collaborations with local conservation organizations and authorities. Our efforts have helped establish educational resource centers and facilitated the conservation efforts of community members through mentorship in writing and securing grants for conservation projects.

      • PROJECT TEAM

        RESEARCH LEADERSHIP

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        Marina Cords, PhD

         

        Professor,
        Ecology, Evolution,
        and Environmental Biology
        & Anthropology,
        Columbia University
        Personal website
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        Nic Thompson Gonzalez, PhD

        Assistant Professor
        Integrative Anthropological Sciences
        University of California
        Santa Barbara
        Personal website
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        Stephanie Fox, PhD

         

        Postdoctoral Scholar,
        Integrative Anthropological Sciences
        University of California,
        Santa Barbara
        Personal website
      • FIELD TEAM

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        Evans Imboma

        Field Leader since 2023
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        Joyce Munayi

        Field Assistant since 2010
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        Consolata Musanga

        Field Assistant since 2010
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        Ernest Shikanga

        Field Assistant since 2006
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        Derrickson Shilabiga

        Field Assistant since 2010
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        Erick Widava

        Field Assistant since 2006
      •  

        KAKAMEGA FOREST  

        Located in western Kenya, Kakamega Forest Reserve is home to 6 primate species and over 300 bird species. The forest includes large sections of indigenous forest, considered the easternmost relic of the Guineo-Congolian tropical rainforest that once stretched from West to East Africa. The total gazetted area (including the the Kakamega Forest National Reserve) encompasses about 240km2.
        The Kakamega Monkey Project is based out of the Kakmega Forest Station (Kenya Forest Service) near Isecheno.
      • Get in touch!

        We invite inquiries from interested students, research collaborators and community members interested in outreach and conservation education.

        Please reach out to any member of our Research Leadership team.

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