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Roundup: Advice Put Forward for Wildlife Conservation in Kenya

Posted on: Monday, 24 May 2004, 06:00 CDT

Roundup: Advice put forward for wildlife conservation in Kenya

by Yu Xinchao, Ren Haijun

MOMBASA, Kenya, May 23 (Xinhua) -- East African country Kenya has always taken pride in having abundant wildlife resources, but with times going on, its policy on wildlife utilization and management seems "outdated," thus, a new policy would be inevitable.

After a three-day discussing and debating, delegates attending the Wildlife Utilization and Management Conference gave some advice on Kenya's wildlife conservation, which grants all stakeholders a say on wildlife conservation.

The conference, funded by the United States International Aid Agency, is a forum for officials, experts and local residents to make a critical analysis of wildlife resource utilization and management and make recommend to the government.

WHY KENYA TO CHANGE PRESENT WILDLIFE POLICY

Since independence, the Kenyan government has established strict regulations on wildlife conservation, as an effort to fight against increasing poachers. And many national parks and reserves are also set up one by one.

However, currently, these protected areas "face increasing pressure, ironically, because they are protected," as Newton Kulundu, Kenyan minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife, said Thursday when addressing at the conference.

Demographic changes in the last decade have made parks reservoirs for wildlife, forests, water and pasture -- amidst millions of needy citizens. And this has made parks subject to diverse risk, ranging from encroachment to illegal exploitation by the hungry human populations across their borders.

The pressure also comes because protected area also provide new avenues of ecological risk. For example, in areas, such as the Shimba Hills National Reserve, wildlife numbers have risen beyond the lands' carrying capacity -- with obvious impact on habitats and neighboring farmlands.

Kulundu attributed this dilemma to both the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act and the Forest Management Act, adding that the former, in particular, has lacked clear mechanisms and incentives for involving local communities and landowners in he management of this resource, despite their critical contribution to the survival of wildlife.

Director of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Evans Mukolwe described the present wildlife conservation and management policy as "weak" and "outdated", saying it remained exclusive and out of tune with the present realities regarding community participation, involvement and benefit sharing especially when considering that approximately 70 percent of wildlife resources are found outside the protected areas.

"The policy is a little in favor of wildlife," Mukolwe told Xinhua, and "it should be changed."

Member of Parliament Leshore Sammy also thought that "something must be changed."

ADVICE FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Before the conference was held, officials from KWS said that it was highly expected that the conference will work out a framework for Kenya's new wildlife policy.

Instead, when it was over, advice was put forward for wildlife conservation, utilization and management in Kenya, according to which, all those who are either involved, affected or interested in Kenya's wildlife, should and can play their role in wildlife utilization and management.

The delegates accentuated that policy on conservation should recognize the totality of biodiversity and the maintenance of balance in ecosystems, and emphasis will be on scientific research as basis for biodiversity and ecosystems monitoring.

And sharing of benefits from tourism should be equitable among local communities, land owners, investors and the government.

Statistics show wildlife-based tourism accounts for an average of 10 percent of the GDP. However, only little tourism industry profits go to local community.

For example, in 1988, the Masai Mara National Reserve received 26 million US dollars from tourism, but only 1 percent went to the local Maasai while tourism firms received 45 percent, hotels 35 percent, shops 5 percent, taxes 5 percent, wages 5 percent.

The delegates also referred to zoning as an important management tool in conservation, adding that innovation and new products development should be promoted, which means that biotechnology should play a more important role in Kenya's biodiversity conservation and sustainable utilization.

It can be used to sustainably develop commercial products from natural sources that can generate income to stimulate conservation and management of biodiversity in Kenya.

They also recognized that conflict between human and wildlife in Kenya is inevitable, but can be minimized.

HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT IN KENYA

Not only is Wildlife the reason for international visitors coming to Kenya, but a resource for Kenya. Yet, wildlife is a source of conflict.

The delegates recognized that as long as people and animals live in an area there will always be conflict. It can never be eliminated. However, conflict can be minimized and to some degree tolerated.

Human-wildlife conflict in Kenya is a loss of life and finance in the form of: loss of human life, danger to physical property and equipment, loss of crops, livestock, competition for resources, such as water, grazing and disease transmission, etc.

The delegates agreed on that different problems require different policies and management plans as the problems are diverse.

They said suggested options for resolution of problems can include one or more of the following:

Conflict is a result of unclear policy on land use, ownership and responsibility. The government should consider dispersing the rights of ownership.

Conflict differs from area to area and needs to be dealt with in designated zones according to the issues in each area.

Private initiatives are necessary to supplement national policy ad assist in conflict resolution.

Community involvement in terms of policy acceptance, honorary wardens, community-based problem animal control, encourage initiatives in revenue earning.

COMPENSATION SCHEME

Statistic shows that some 40 people were killed by wild animals annually in Kenya. The human-wildlife conflict is increasing in importance as human populations continue to expand at alarming rates in the country, from 7 million in 1960's to over 30 million in 2003.

Loss of human life could be contributed to increased antagonism between community and wildlife with wild animals killing and injuring people. In many cases, and such increased antagonism results in humanbeing's illegal hunting to resolve conflicts directly.

As a result, a compensation scheme was set up in 1970's, according to which, deaths and injuries caused by wildlife will be paid by the government, but not for crop damage. Such schemes, however, have been problematic with the current payments for loss of life being limited at only 30,000 shillings (about 375 US dollars).

Some participants attending the conference urged the government to amend the compensation scheme in the country, terming the current compensation amount as "abusive and unrealistic," and demanding a larger share of tourism revenue and higher compensation for the death of wildlife-attacked people.

Delegates said that a rational compensation mechanism, which could reduce the cost of wildlife to human-being sharing land with it, is a critical issue in solving wildlife conservation and utilization problems in Kenya.

A senior official from the Kenyan Minister for Environment said during the meeting that he also hoped, among other reforms, to increase significantly the compensation paid to human life, but he could not say by how much.

Participants admitted that it is not an easy thing to do to have a satisfying compensation program in the country.

However, Kenyan Wildlife Service Board of Trustees Chairman Colin Church said that "we as Kenyans can demonstrate that we can find a workable solution. For anyhow, we all committed to enhance the national asset-wildlife and make it specially benefit both to communities living with it and to the national needs."

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