Conservation and Management Strategy for the Elephant in Kenya

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18 CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE ELEPHANT IN KENYA 1.2.3 Elephant conservation policy KWS Policy Framework and Development Programme 1991–1996 Annex 7B Elephant Conservation and Management The key source document on policy for elephant conservation was developed as part of the Zebra Books, and formed its Annex 7B. Policies developed for elephant conservation under this five-year plan remain in effect to this day. Even the revised KWS Strategy of 2005 has not re-examined the policy issues around elephant management. The key policies are: • International ivory trade – Kenya will continue to support the international ban on commercial trade in ivory and will cooperate with other countries to ensure that the African elephant remains on Appendix 1 of CITES. • Poaching and illegal trade – KWS will increase its intelligence-gathering expertise and will cooperate with neighbouring countries and with the regional TRAFFIC office to identify poachers and illegal ivory dealers and build a database of their activities. • Monitoring status and trends – KWS will continue to monitor the status and trends of elephant populations, particularly those that have been identified as priority populations and involve other stakeholders in the conservation and scientific sector as much as possible. • Compression and habitat destruction in small enclosed areas. Some of the smaller areas with isolated elephant populations may need to be regulated. KWS prefers to investigate the feasibility of elephant contraception, as it considers the culling of elephants to be undesirable for several reasons: - ethical considerations; - the disturbance effect on survivors and its negative consequences for tourism; - the destabilising effect on populations dynamics; and - the negative press coverage, which Kenya cannot, at this stage, afford. • Prevention of crop damage – Methods to reduce damage to life and property would include barriers and control shooting – directed at specific problem animals or to affect behaviour. A trained wildlife control team would be sent to problem areas. • Stimulating tourism – Some elephant projects will be focussed in PAs that are targeted for tourism development. 1.2.4 International frameworks addressing the conservation and management of the African elephant The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), also called the Washington Convention, and the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), also known as the Bonn Convention, are some of the international legal frameworks applied in conservation and management of the African Elephant. CITES, an agreement between governments, recognizes that international cooperation is essential for the protection of certain species of wild fauna and flora against over-exploitation through international trade, while CMS aims at conserving terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range. Kenya is signatory to CITES and the CMS. As international legal frameworks, CITES and CMS operate within common procedural mechanisms for the effective regulation of international trade in listed species and for the conservation of migratory species respectively. In the case of species that are threatened with extinction, Signatory Governments/Parties strive towards strictly protecting the animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that might endanger them.
CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE ELEPHANT IN KENYA 19 Kenya’s population of African elephant is listed in Appendix I of CITES and Appendix II of CMS. Under CITES Appendix I, species are threatened with extinction, which are or may be affected by trade while Under Appendix II of the CMS species are migratory that need, or would significantly benefit from, international cooperation. Kenya Wildlife Service is mandated under Section 3A J. of the Wildlife Act to be the lead agency for the implementation of the Conventions as guided by the Act and other provisions such as the Sessional Paper No.3 of 1975 Policy on future wildlife management of Kenya; Revocation of wildlife hunting (1977); Revocation of dealership in wildlife products (1978); EMCA (1999); Forest Act CAP 385; Fisheries Act cap 378 and other biodiversity related Conventions, Treaties, Protocols and Agreements. The National Elephant Strategy has been developed reflecting on the provisions of CITES and CMS as key international legal frameworks that cover conservation and management of the African elephant nationally and globally and by which Kenya has committed to abide. [ LEFT ] Plate 19. Elephants being translocated from Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary into the wider Tsavo West National Park. On the back is the identification number to assist in post release monitoring - Richard Kock
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Conservation and Management Strategy for the Elephant in Kenya

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