Kilima-mrota is not a worm: the effect of conservation education and a local naming contest on the perspectives held by the peoples of Sagalla Hill, Kenya toward the Sagalla Caecilian Boulengerula niedeni.

Abstract

An investigation was conducted on the effects of a naming contest for the Sagalla caecilian Boulengerula niedeni on Sagalla peoples’ perspectives about this critically endangered subterranean amphibian. The study found that having an indigenous name, “kilima-mrota”, for this amphibian allowed local people to differentiate it from earthworms and snakes, which is helpful in promoting its conservation.

Keywords: Eastern Arc Mountains, Taita Hills, biodiversity, endangered, amphibian