An Environmental Restoration Project
“Aim to create an ecosystem where plants, animals and technologies are interdependant and self-sustaining.”
Dr. Rene Haller
Our History
In 1956, Dr. Rene Haller, a swiss-born environmentalist, moved to Africa and in 1959, was employed by the Bamburi Cement Company to grow fruit and vegetables for its workers.
In 1970, Dr. Haller persuaded the Bamburi Cement Company to give him access to acres of its disused quarries. It was a wasteland; abandoned and forgotten.
Although reclamation of industrial wasteland was virtually unheard of, Dr. Haller believed he could bring life there again. He pioneered sustainable agricultural techniques and after decades of careful observation of how plants and animals interact, and a series of trial and error experiments, Dr. Haller successfully transformed the land.
What was once a barren, limestone quarry, now exists as the Haller Park; a tropical coastal rainforest.
Man had taken life from the land, but used nature to restore it.
Over 2 million trees were planted in the quarry and a wide range of insects, butterfly, bird and mammal species were introduced - all of which play a key role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem.
Throughout the 1970’s, Dr. Rene Haller took from the lessons he had learned at Haller Park and continued to rehabilitate the disused quarries scattered along the Mombasa coastline.
The Nguuni Nature Sanctuary being one of these restoration projects.
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, savannah grasslands, with walking and cycling trails, as well as a Nature Park and Wildlife Sanctuary.
In 1991, Dr. Haller set up The Baobab Trust, a non-profit organisation committed to environmental conservation through developing sustainable ecosystems. The Baobab Trust builds on Dr. Haller’s knowledge and experience through education, training and community initiatives - helping people to live and work while conserving the environment.
Dr. Haller was awarded the UNEP Global 500 Roll of Honour for his “Outstanding Environmental Achievements” and in 2003, Dr. Haller was appointed to the board of the Kenyan Wildlife Service.
In 2004, Inspired by Dr. Haller’s model for sustainable living based on regeneration of land to power local economies, The Haller Foundation was set up as a UK registered charity to raise funds for Dr. Haller’s work; promoting his ideas and implementing them into Mombasa’s surrounding communities.
Since then, The Haller Foundation has worked with over 50 rural communities, helping to improve livelihoods, lift them out of poverty and to reach a point of self-sufficiency.
The Haller Park is now recognised by the Eden Project as one of the ten most effective environmental restoration projects in the world.
It stands as a beautiful nature reserve, but serves as an enduring reminder of the importance of safeguarding biodiversity for the success and sustainability of our ecosystems.