{"key":"8495bd3e-9cc1-4530-9520-3ee6e6124749","installationKey":"b75cac4b-10fd-424f-a4f7-7bae2657bf64","publishingOrganizationKey":"5096b03f-bf87-4a80-90f1-2186e9d6b720","doi":"10.15468/2b4r6s","version":"1.2","external":false,"numConstituents":0,"type":"OCCURRENCE","subtype":"SPECIMEN","title":"Mammal Diversity Occurrence Data in Lake Ol Bolossat ecosystem, Nyandarua County","description":"\n            Mammals are central to ecosystem functioning and often respond quickly to environmental change, making them important indicators of human land use and climate impacts (Ernst & Brown, 2001: Cameron & Scheel, 2001). Disturbance, whether natural or human-driven, alters normal ecological processes (Van Andel et al., 1987). Human activities such as off-road driving, refuse dumping, vegetation trampling, frequent fires, and trail proliferation significantly influence mammal habitats. These pressures are particularly pronounced in ecologically sensitive landscapes like L. Ol  Bolossat , Kenya’s only natural lake in the Central Highlands, where increasing agricultural expansion, livestock grazing, and human encroachment are intensifying their effects on wildlife.Ecosystem goods and services such as fresh water, fertile soils, pollination, nutrient cycling (Peterson et al, 1998), and faunal community regulations (Kingdon et al., 2013) arise from healthy ecological functions. L. Ol  Bolossat supports rich biodiversity, including grazing mammals, wetland-dependent species, and small mammals that contribute to seed dispersal and soil processes. Understanding mammal behaviour and population dynamics in such areas is therefore critical for conservation.Since some mammals at L. Ol  Bolossat  are elusive and nocturnal, indirect method were used such as track surveys, scat analysis and animal foot print identification (Taberlet et al., 1999). These non-invasive tools help monitoring rare or shy species and guide management strategies aimed at balancing biodiversity conservation with increasing human land-use pressures around the lake.\n        ","language":"eng","logoUrl":"http://ipt.museums.or.ke/ipt/logo.do?r=mamm_olbo","citation":{"text":"Mungai I, Thenya T, Okumu J (2026). Mammal Diversity Occurrence Data in Lake Ol Bolossat ecosystem, Nyandarua County. Version 1.2. THE EAST AFRICAN WILDLIFE SOCIETY. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/2b4r6s accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-10-15.","citationProvidedBySource":false},"contactsCitation":[{"key":7104905,"abbreviatedName":"Mungai I","firstName":"Immaculate","lastName":"Mungai","roles":["ORIGINATOR","METADATA_AUTHOR"],"userId":["https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3976-7651"]},{"key":7104906,"abbreviatedName":"Thenya T","firstName":"Thuita","lastName":"Thenya","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":[]},{"key":7104907,"abbreviatedName":"Okumu J","firstName":"Jabes","lastName":"Okumu","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":[]}],"lockedForAutoUpdate":false,"createdBy":"5096b03f-bf87-4a80-90f1-2186e9d6b720","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2025-12-07T19:52:55.527+00:00","modified":"2026-08-12T06:21:08.257+00:00","contacts":[{"key":7104905,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":true,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3976-7651"],"firstName":"Immaculate","lastName":"Mungai","position":["Research Scientist"],"email":["immaculate2030@gmail.com"],"phone":["+254726988303"],"homepage":[],"organization":"National Museums of Kenya","address":["Museum Hill Road"],"city":"Nairobi","province":"Nairobi","country":"KE","postalCode":"40658 - 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N. and Scheel, D. (2001). Getting warmer: effect of global climate change on distribution of rodents in Texas. Journal of Mammalogy, 82 (3): 652-680.","citationProvidedBySource":false},{"text":"Ernest, S. K., Brown, J. H. and Haskell, J. P. (2001). Regulation of diversity: maintenance of species richness in changing environments. Oecologia. 126 (3): 321-332.","citationProvidedBySource":false},{"text":"Halfpenny, J., 2015. Scats and Tracks of the Pacific Coast: A Field Guide to the Signs of 70 Wildlife Species. Rowman & Littlefield.","citationProvidedBySource":false},{"text":"Karuku, G.N. and Mugo, E., 2019. Land Use Effects on Lake Ol'bolossat Watershed Conservation, Nyandarua County. JOJ Wildlife & Biodiversity, 1(2), p.26.","citationProvidedBySource":false},{"text":"Kingdon J.2013. The Kingdon Field Guide to African mammals 2nd Ed. Bloomsbery London.","citationProvidedBySource":false},{"text":"Mwangi, J., Gachene, C.K., Mureithi, S.M. and Kiteme, B., 2023. Spatial Soil Loss Assessment Using USLE in Lake Ol Bolossat Catchment. In Soil Erosion-Risk Modeling and Management. IntechOpen.","citationProvidedBySource":false}],"curatorialUnits":[],"taxonomicCoverages":[{"coverages":[{"scientificName":"Hippopotamus amphibius","commonName":"Hippopotamus","rank":{"verbatim":"species","interpreted":"SPECIES"}},{"scientificName":"Dendromus insignis","commonName":"Montane African Climbing Mouse","rank":{"verbatim":"species","interpreted":"SPECIES"}},{"scientificName":"Crocidura fumosa","commonName":"Smoky White-toothed Shrew","rank":{"verbatim":"species","interpreted":"SPECIES"}},{"scientificName":"Mus musculus","commonName":"House mouse","rank":{"verbatim":"species","interpreted":"SPECIES"}},{"scientificName":"Lepus capensis","commonName":"Cape hare","rank":{"verbatim":"species","interpreted":"SPECIES"}},{"scientificName":"Crocuta crocuta","commonName":"Spotted hyena","rank":{"verbatim":"species","interpreted":"SPECIES"}},{"scientificName":"Tachyoryctes ibeanus","commonName":"Kenyan African mole-rat","rank":{"verbatim":"species","interpreted":"SPECIES"}}]}],"geographicCoverages":[{"description":"Lake Ol’ Bolossat is located in Nyandarua county, Central Kenya, at an altitude of approximately 2,300 m above sea level, covering about 43.3 km², of which 4 km² is open water (Karuku & Mugo, 2019). The lake lies on a flat plain northwest of the Aberdare Range, on the North Kinanop Plateau at the base of Satima, bordered by Ndaragwa, Ol’Kalou, and Ol’Joro Orok divisions. The lake and its catchment from part of the Ewaso ng’iro basin and support a range of key mammal habitats, including open waters, floating swamps, marshes, savannah, and riverine forest, as well as spring-fed areas (Mwangi et al., 2023).","boundingBox":{"minLatitude":-0.205,"maxLatitude":0.157,"minLongitude":36.291,"maxLongitude":36.496,"globalCoverage":false}}],"temporalCoverages":[{"@type":"range","start":"2023-11-16T00:00:00.000+00:00","end":"2023-11-22T00:00:00.000+00:00"}],"keywordCollections":[{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type_2015-07-10.xml","keywords":["L. Ol  Bolossat.","Ecosystem function","Conservation","Human Disturbance","Mammals","Biodiversity"]},{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Subtype Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_subtype.xml","keywords":["Specimen"]}],"project":{"title":"Unlocking Biodiversity Data to facilitate Designation of L. Ol  Bolossat as the 7th Ramsar Site in Kenya","identifier":"Grant No.70014","contacts":[{"type":"PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR","primary":false,"userId":[],"firstName":"Jabes","lastName":"Okumu","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]}],"funding":"The project was funded by the JRS Biodiversity Foundation\nhttps://jrsbiodiversity.org/grants/eastafricanwildlife/","awards":[],"studyAreaDescription":"L. Ol  Bolossat,  located in Nyandarua County, Central Kenya, lies at approximately 2,300m above sea level and covers about 43.3 km², including 4 km² of open water. The lake sits within a tectonic graben bounded by subtle western faulting that intensifies southward and by the prominent Satima Escarpment to the east, which forms the easternmost Rift Valley scarp in this region (Karuku & Mugo, 2019). Positioned on the North Kinangop plateau at the base of Mt. Satima and bordered by the Ndaragwa, Ol’ Kalou, and Ol’ Joro Orok divisions, the lake and its catchment form part of the Ewaso Ng’iro Basin. This landscape supports a mosaic of mammal habitats, including open waters, floating swamps, marshes, savannah grasslands, riverine forests, and spring fed wetlands, that provide critical ecological niches for species sensitive to environmental change and human disturbance (Nyambane & Kimwatu, 2024).","designDescription":"Mammal data were collected across six sampling sites, three located on the eastern side and three on the western side of the lake. At each site, 100 meter transects were established to guide systemic searches. The geolocation of each sampling site was recorded using a handheld GPS positioned at the center of the transect area.\nAll mammal signs encountered within the study area were recorded in a field notebook. These included footprints, scats, burrows, feeding signs, shelters, trails, and skeletal remains. Any ambiguous or difficult to identify signs were documented through detailed photographs and measurements for later verification using established mammal identification manuals and guides (field guides for tracks and signs).\nBasic training in mammal sign detection and identification was provided to members of the local community who accompanied and guided the research team during fieldwork, enhancing local capacity and improving the accuracy of field observations.","relatedProjects":[],"abstract":"Running from 2023 to 2026, the project aims to generate biodiversity data to inform conservation and management interventions and guide policy decisions within the L. Ol Bolossat ecosystem. It also seeks to provide data to facilitate the designation of the lake as Kenya's 7th Ramsar site. It integrates indigenous knowledge and open data sharing, enhancing stakeholders’ capacity to manage the ecosystem effectively.\nSpecifically, the project aims to: \ni.\tEstablish the ecological characteristics of L. Ol Bolossat watershed\nii.\tCatalyze citizen participation and capacity in biodiversity research and monitoring for improved management of the lake; and\niii.\tInfluence policy and scientific and inclusive decision-making for improved biodiversity conservation and management of Lake Ol Bolossat.\nIt is implemented by the East African Wildlife Society (EAWLS) in partnership with the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies at the University of Nairobi (WMI-UON) and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI). The project works closely with various stakeholders within the Lake Ol’ Bolossat ecosystem, including government agencies, local NGOs and community-based organizations (CBOs), county governments, and local communities."},"samplingDescription":{"studyExtent":"The occurrence data of the sampling area is for the study which was carried out by the researchers from the National Museums of Kenya.","sampling":"The research began with a desktop analysis, reviewing, previous research and published materials to establish a baseline for the work at L. Ol  Bolossat . Sources included past and ongoing project reports, field guidebooks, media articles, publications, and data from the National Museums of Kenya. This information guided the subsequent fieldwork, which primarily employed indirect sampling methods. Animal signs such as footprints, scrapes, shelters, burrows, scats, and bones were recorded, rather than relying on direct sightings (Halfpenny, 2015). Field teams walked slowly along 1 km transects at a rate of one kilometer per hour, pausing every 100 meters to listen for calls or observe movement in trees, grasslands, and bushes. Transects were positioned along the shoreline, near farmland, and in adjacent habitats to account for the mobility of mammals across different areas. This approach allowed systemic detection of mammal presence and activity across a range of habitats within the L. Ol  Bolossat ecosystem.","qualityControl":"The occurrence data of the mammals was collected in November, 2023 in different habitats from the six sampling sites within the L. Ol  Bolossat basin ecosystems. Transects were established in each sampling sites, whereby mammal data was captured and recorded in a field notebook. The GPS coordinates of each sampled area was captured.","methodSteps":["1. Data collected in the field was transformed into an occurrence dataset following the Darwin Core standards\n2. The dataset was then cleaned and validated by the taxa expert - Immaculate Mungai\n3. The metadata was prepared and attached to the dataset.\n4. The dataset and the metadata document were submitted to the NMK - GBIF team for publishing on GBIF.\n5. The dataset published to GBIF using the Integrated Publishing Toolkit at the National Museums of Kenya (NMK)"]},"countryCoverage":[],"collections":[],"dataDescriptions":[],"dataLanguage":"eng","purpose":"To generate biodiversity data to support policy formulation and decision-making regarding conservation of this fragile ecosystem and to facilitate its designation as the 7th Ramsar site in Kenya","pubDate":"2026-08-12T00:00:00.000+00:00","maintenanceUpdateFrequency":"UNKNOWN","maintenanceDescription":"","license":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/legalcode","dwca":{"coreType":"http://rs.tdwg.org/dwc/terms/Occurrence","extensions":[],"modified":"2026-08-12T06:21:08.161+00:00"},"approximateCounts":{"occurrenceCount":29}}