About Us
Who we are
Guardians of Nature & People is a non- profit organisation dedicated to restoring and protecting ecosystems while fostering harmony between people and nature. We believe that thriving landscapes are the foundation of a healthy planet and resilient communities.
Our work focuses on enhancing biodiversity, promoting sustainable land use, building climate resilience, and empowering communities through nature-based solutions. By integrating ecological restoration with social well-being, we create landscapes where wildlife can flourish, ecosystems can regenerate, and communities can prosper.
We work hand-in-hand with local stakeholders from farmers and fishers to youth groups and conservation partners, ensuring that our initiatives are inclusive, participatory, and grounded in traditional knowledge. Our projects span forests, wetlands, mangroves, grasslands, and agricultural lands, all driven by the belief that protecting nature also protects livelihoods.
Our Mission
To restore and protect ecosystems by advancing biodiversity conservation, promoting sustainable land use, enhancing climate resilience, and empowering communities through inclusive education, policy advocacy, and nature-based solutions
Our Vision
A healthy planet where people and natural ecosystems thrive together
Our Belief
We believe that protecting nature means protecting people. Thriving ecosystems create resilient communities, secure livelihoods, and a healthier planet. By restoring landscapes and empowering people, we safeguard both biodiversity and future generations.
Our Core Values
Stewardship
We are caretakers of the land, water, and communities entrusted to us. Our work is rooted in responsibility — to nurture, protect, and restore landscapes so they can continue to support both people and the planet for generations to come.
Inclusivity
We believe restoration thrives when everyone is part of the journey. We actively involve local communities, respect diverse voices, and ensure equitable participation so that all people share in the benefits of restored landscapes.
Sustainability
Our actions are guided by long-term impact. We restore ecosystems in ways that are ecologically sound, socially just, and economically viable, ensuring the health of landscapes and livelihoods far into the future.
Empowerment
We strengthen communities with knowledge, tools, and opportunities to take charge of their landscapes. By building local capacity and ownership, we enable people to lead in the restoration and protection of their environment.
Resilience
We cultivate the ability of both people and ecosystems to withstand and adapt to change. Through restoration, we foster landscapes that are biodiverse, communities that are self-reliant, and systems that can endure challenges such as climate change.
Our Story
Guardians of Nature & People (GNP) was founded by a dedicated team of conservationists who had previously worked with an organization deeply engaged in natural ecosystem restoration and community-driven conservation across Kenya. When that organization wound up, the team recognized that while important progress had been made, the work was far from finished. Landscapes remained under threat, biodiversity loss was accelerating, and communities still faced climate and livelihood challenges that demanded urgent action.
Rather than let years of conservation gains fade, the team came together to establish Guardians of Nature & People — a new nonprofit with a renewed vision: to restore ecosystems, protect biodiversity, and empower communities through inclusive, nature-based solutions. Building on decades of collective experience in habitat restoration, conservation planning, and stakeholder engagement, GNP carries forward this legacy while broadening its scope and reach.
Today, our work extends across Kenya’s most ecologically significant yet threatened landscapes, from the mangrove forests of the coast to the upland water towers of the highlands. In places like Lamu, Tana River, Kilifi, Mombasa, Kiambu, and Narok, we collaborate with communities, conservation leaders, and government partners to reverse degradation, secure biodiversity, and create sustainable futures for both people and nature.
Our story is rooted in continuity — ensuring that unfinished conservation efforts are not lost — but it is also one of growth and vision. We are building on past lessons while forging new pathways to resilience, always driven by the belief that restoring ecosystems is inseparable from empowering the people who depend on them.
Join Our Team
7
Trees Planted
2,500
In coastal regions, the organization targets mangrove ecosystems and inland Coastal forest, which are critical for shoreline protection, marine biodiversity, and carbon storage. Specific sites include Kwasasi, Manda, and Mkunumbi in Lamu; Chara and Kilelengwani in Tana River; and several creeks, riverine wetlands in Kilifi and Mombasa. Restoration activities include community planting, environmental education, and ecosystem monitoring to address threats such as deforestation, land use changes, pollution, and other built environment pressures.
Beyond the mangroves, Guardians of Nature & People also focuses on coastal inland forests such as Witu and Dakatcha, and upland zones in Kiambu and Narok Counties. Witu and Dakatcha are rich in biodiversity and serve as critical wildlife corridors and bird habitats, but are under severe threat from logging, agriculture expansion, and illegal settlements. In Kiambu and Narok, the organization is working to restore the Kinale, Uplands, Maasai Mau, and Olpusimoru forests, key water catchments and climate regulators, through indigenous tree planting, forest protection, and sustainable land management initiatives.
Overall, Guardians of Nature & People integrates ecological restoration with community empowerment to build climate resilience, protect biodiversity, and promote sustainable natural resource use across Kenya’s most vulnerable ecosystems.
