The Environment and Climate Change Principal Secretary Festus Ng’eno alongside Tourism Principal Secretary Silvia Museiya and conservationists held the inception workshop for the Wildlife Conservation for Development Integrated Program.
The workshop was meant to share knowledge and experiences, shaping the project’s direction to align with government priorities and global environmental benefits.
The program dubbed, ´Advancing Human-Wildlife Conflict Management Effectiveness in Kenya through an Integrated Approach´ program is supported by the GEF 8 cycle.
It aims at addressing the root causes of wildlife loss through national, trans-boundary, regional, and global interventions.
In Kenya, 65-70 pc of wildlife populations live outside protected areas, co-existing with people and livestock.
This amplifies human-wildlife conflicts (HWCs), posing a threat to socio-economic development, biodiversity, and food security.
According to a statement on X, Prof. Ng´eno noted that the “Advancing Human-Wildlife Conflict Management Effectiveness in Kenya through an Integrated Approach,” program holds great potential to address these challenges, enhancing tourism industry as well as addressing the challenge of Human-Wildlife Conflict, which affects the ecosystem and leads to biodiversity loss.
The project has identified priority areas, including Tsavo and Laikipia landscapes, based on their high rates of HWCs to activate and operationalize existing management plans and community-led conservancies, focusing on mitigating HWCs, strengthening community conservancy governance, and preventing zoonotic diseases.
According to research Kenya has lost an estimated 68pc of its megafauna over the past 40 years with the primary causes including human population growth, resource pressures, escalating poverty, limited livelihood opportunities, and inadequate institutional capacity to manage human-wildlife conflicts and wildlife crime effectively.
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