Zacharia Mutinda Muteti

Zacharia Mutinda Muteti is a dedicated environmentalist from Kenya, committed to promoting sustainable development through the creation of alternative livelihoods around Lake Jipe. With a focus on reducing overfishing, natural resource degradation, and poverty in the region, Zacharia's ultimate goal is to restore the Jipe ecosystem, foster human-eagle coexistence, and achieve equity among community members. His project tackles these challenges by implementing various sustainable livelihood initiatives, including eco-tourism, permaculture, aquaculture, briquetting, and agroforestry. By providing alternative income sources to women and youth, reducing reliance on fishing, and promoting environmental conservation, Zacharia aims to create a more equitable and environmentally sustainable community around Lake Jipe.

Passionate about addressing the direct impacts on the well-being of the Lake Jipe community and the threat to biodiversity, Zacharia's work fosters environmental stewardship, economic stability, and social equity. Through this project, he envisions a future where human-elephant tensions decrease, attitudes towards elephants change, and the local community benefits from enhanced livelihoods, reduced poverty, and preserved natural resources. Zacharia's initiative not only sets a precedent for sustainable development but also serves as a model for inspiring similar projects in other regions, promoting broader environmental and economic resilience.