‘The conservancy concept’ is an approach to wildlife conservation that is being increasingly employed across Kenya in order to create a sustainable future for animals, local communities, the environment and visitors alike. Created to address the increasing loss of indigenous habitats,through the division of land, over-grazing and intensive farming, the idea has recently gained considerable momentum. According to an article in the Independent, “Conservancies mean local communities benefit directly from the use of their land and willingly host and protect wildlife populations, reducing the incidence of human-wildlife conflict, which has been known to arise from poaching, farming and the construction of infrastructure.”
In Brief
- There are now 140 conservancies across the country operating on land leased from local communities, covering more than 7.5 million acres of conservancy land spread across 22 counties.
- Tourist numbers are strictly controlled with no more than 12 guest tents per camp and a maximum of 1 tent per 700 acres and 1 tourist vehicle per 1400 acres.
- The conservancy concept was legally recognised for the first time in the Wildlife Act 2013.
In Depth
- Read the original article Giants Club: The new ‘conservancy’ conservation concept giving Kenya’s local communities jobs, income and a brighter future
- Follow Space for Giants, which works to create space and security for elephants and for people on Twitter
- Find more information on conservancies, and for a brief history of their development in Kenya.
In the Future
