If the Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013 is fully implemented, Taita Taveta County will benefit from tourism and conservation activities
The Wildlife Conservation Management Act of 2013, a piece of legislation passed by Parliament, intends to streamline tourist and conservation initiatives by including local populations. The Act aims to create a unified and long-term environmental protection and conservation mechanism that brings together the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), private conservancies, partners, the national government, and the general public in concerted efforts to benefit both wild animals and local people.
Residents of Taita Taveta will benefit from the creation of a Wildlife Endowment Fund, which will provide employment opportunities, mutually beneficial relationships with KWS, and a compensation programme to cover property destruction caused by straying wild animals. Environmental activists, the KWS, national government representatives, county delegates, and ecological experts agreed that the time was right to implement the Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013 for the benefit of both wildlife and locals at a meeting that brought together environmental activists, the KWS, national government representatives, county delegates, and ecological experts.
Ken Esau, an ecological expert and consultant, spoke out in favour of the adoption, saying that the timing was ideal for the Act, which will boost conservation efforts while also giving income-generating opportunities for people. “It’s long past time to put the Wildlife Conservation Management Act of 2013 into effect. If we truly care about the environment and people, this should have been done many years ago. It will assist both the wildlife and our people,” Esau explained.
First and foremost, efforts spearheaded by the national government through appropriate ministries and the KWS are undertaken in Taita Taveta to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. Eco-tourism projects involving local communities, on the other hand, are ramping up, with the potential to strengthen the county’s economy by establishing jobs and alternative money streams for the young and women.