Ileret Footprint Project Site

The Ileret Footprint Project Site holds the most extensive collection of 1.5-million-year-old footprints within a single sedimentary outcrop anywhere in the world. Its unique landscape, a singular outcrop of fine-grained mud near the Ileret village on the northeastern shores of Lake Turkana in Kenya, preserved the footprints of early human ancestors, offering invaluable insights into Pleistocene hominin paleobiology. Climate change has brought about erratic weather patterns in the region, characterized by extreme heat, droughts, and sporadic intense rainfall. These weather fluctuations have resulted in unpredictable flooding of the river and its surroundings, endangering the sedimentary layers that preserve the footprints. Additionally, the area is prone to strong wind currents, known as the Turkana Jet, which further contributes to the site degradation. The increase in environmental pressure due to climate change has led to the scarcity of land resources such as pasture and water for livestock, who are moved more frequently around the site landscape in search for these resources by pastoral communities. Preservation and documentation efforts have already begun with the recent creation of an Interpretation Center and through their participation in Preserving Legacies, they hope to enact adaptation actions to preserve the environment itself as well as strengthen the resiliency of the surrounding Dassanach community.