Baobab Trust - Dr. Rene Haller.

Dr. Rene Haller

Dr. Rene Haller is a naturalist, trained in Horticulture, Landscaping and Tropical Agronomy. He came to Africa in 1956 to manage a coffee plantation on Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania. Three years later he was recruited by the Bamburi Cement Company to head up their Garden Department. His mandate was to produce food - fruit and vegetables - for employees of the factory, many of whom were undernourished, as well as spruce up the area surrounding the site.

He went far beyond his brief. In the 1970s he started a unique ecological experiment, attempting to rehabilitate the limestone quarries scarring the Mombasa coastline. Today he has transformed much of the seven square kilometre Bamburi site from a barren and dusty lunar landscape to an ecological haven. The quarries are now a combination of lakes, wetlands and savannah grasslands, with walking and cycling trails, as well as a Nature Park and Wildlife Sanctuary - nearly 100,000 visitors came in 2002.

Tree planting started in the South Quarry thirty years ago. Now known as Haller Park, it has lush vegetation and a wide variety of wildlife, including snakes, tortoises, butterflies, crocodiles, giraffe and hippopotami, as well as an Education Pavilion. The Central Quarry was the target for the second phase of rehabilitation. Its wetland area has lakes used as feeding and resting grounds for many species of indigenous and migratory birds. The North Quarry also includes wetlands, as well as forest and savannah land, which can be viewed by the public on newly opened walking and cycling trails.

In his capacity as 'Head of the Garden Department' at Bamburi, Dr. Haller started producing vegetables. He then ventured into poultry, sheep and goats, followed by a dairy herd. By 1977 the 'Garden Department' had become economically self-sustaining, so Dr Haller spun it off as a separate enterprise - Baobab Farm was incorporated.

Crocodiles were also introduced - not only did they generate income through their meat and skins, but they also played a vital role in the eco-system. They ate the waste meat of dead animals from the farm and by digesting the bones excreted dissolved phosphate, which is an important plant nutrient. Combined with the fish farm effluents this helped fertilise the rice paddies, which acted as a biological filter system and yielded rice for sale.

In 1991 Dr. Haller set up the Baobab Trust to carry out the non-commercial activities relating to Baobab Farm. Its charitable status also meant that it was able to use income generated from a large-scale tree planting initiative, funded by an American Care organisation. The Trust is now the main vehicle for Dr. Rene Haller's activities and will be the main beneficiary of funds raised by The Haller Foundation.

In 1987, Dr. Haller was awarded the prestigious Global 500 Roll of Honour by the United Nations, for his 'outstanding environmental achievements'. And in 1991 the Swiss Brandenberger prize, as well as an Honourary Doctor's degree from the University of Basle. In April 2003, he was appointed to the board of the Kenyan Wildlife Service.