TED Talks Daily Conservation: a love story | Elsaphan Njora
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Mar 6, 2026 
Elsaphan Njora, a Kenyan multi-hyphenate artist who documents and performs about landscapes and community conservation. He recounts travels across Kenya’s forests, lakes and coasts. He spotlights threats to places like Lake Olbolosat and lost indigenous forests. He highlights community-led restoration, mangrove regeneration tied to local business, and a call to root conservation in love.
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Journey Through Kenya's Vanishing Landscapes
- Elsaphan Njora recounts traveling across Kenya visiting places like Silali crater, Mzima springs, Lake Chala, and Robinson Island.
- He frames these landscapes as sources of awe and cultural inheritance that shaped his songs and perspective.
Local Examples Of Ecosystem Loss In Kenya
- Elsaphan tells specific stories of Lake Olbolosat in Nyahururu and the lost indigenous forests near Ke Makimwe in Machakos.
- He uses these local examples to show how cultivation and deforestation can erase lakes and sacred forests within years.
Ecosystems Are Balance Not Just Resources
- Elsaphan emphasizes that forests and lakes are complex ecosystems supporting endemic species and balance, not mere resources.
- He connects this ecological role to human needs like farming and wood, highlighting the tension between livelihood and conservation.