Conservation and Management Strategy for the Elephant in Kenya

24 CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE ELEPHANT IN KENYA
2.1.2 Results of threat and vulnerability analyses
The analyses are summarised below and is compiled from the outputs of the stakeholder consultation and final
strategy workshops, published literature, KWS internal reports and reviewer’s inputs.
2.1.2.1 Security and ivory trade
[ FIGURE 12 ]
Plate 21.
Recovered ivory by
Kenya Wildlife Service
armed wing - Charles Ooro,
Kenya Wildlife Service
The greatest threat to the elephant remains its ivory!
The introduction of a ban on ivory sales worldwide in 1989, as a result of massive elephant population declines in
Africa and Asia, was heavily influenced by world opinion and, coincidentally, policy developing in Kenya at the time.
This was also linked to the inception of KWS and the burning of ivory stockpiles in Nairobi NP which provided the
statement which reverberated around the world. The benefits were felt within a short time: illegal ivory trade declined,
craftsman and their shops became redundant, black-market prices of ivory plummeted and poaching declined across
the range States. Elephant in Kenya benefited from this single event. However recovery would not have been possible
without the improvements in security achieved through the establishment of the KWS armed wing and the elephant
programme. The result, which Kenya is proud of, is a near doubling of the population. Nevertheless, this recovery has
led to further challenges as Kenya develops and land use spreads further into elephant range with increasing HEC and
alteration of habitat through restriction of elephant populations into secure areas.
Although the ban remains, down-listing of four southern African elephant populations to CITES Appendix II, and two
one-off legal sales of ivory have occurred. Today, demand for ivory has once again increased, causing further major
declines of fragile populations in West and Central Africa and placing increasing pressure on East and Southern African
populations of elephants. In Kenya, a strategy is required to deal with these events and to support the wider
implementation of the African Elephant Action Plan (Anon., 2010). The conservation of elephants still needs to rely
heavily on continued but, more importantly, expanded security to allow elephant populations to reoccupy areas of
former range where there are few people and thus enable movement of animals away from conflict hotspots.
However, security alone is insufficient. Greater cooperation with communities that co-exist currently or live in potential
range and with other sectors impinging on land use and management locally, nationally, regionally and internationally
is needed. The strategy also needs to focus on reducing demand for and supply chains for ivory. The added benefit of
increased range will be protection of other wildlife and habitat. Overall, this will increase the resilience of Kenya’s
valuable natural ecosystems vital to long-term sustainable economic development.