Conservation and Management Strategy for the Elephant in Kenya

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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.
CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE ELEPHANT IN KENYA 25 Threat Cause Constraint Preconditions / Assumption (enabling conditions / environment to reduce threats) Lack of awareness of value of elephants • Limited environmental education • Diplomatic immunity Inadequate law enforcement effort • Lack of enforcement capacity • Weak legislation and poor enforcement Poaching / illegal killing • Limited capacity to mitigate conflicts Human-elephant conflict • Conflicting land use planning / practices Proliferation of illegal firearms • Instability in neighbouring countries Increased demand for wildlife meat • Lack of alternative livelihoods/poverty • Political stability in the region. • CITES will not reopen ivory trade • Political will Cultural practices – some cultures allow killing of an animal e.g. killing of a lion by the Maasai community to prove their bravery etc. • Low literacy levels • International collaboration in law enforcement Increased demand and price of ivory • Availability of illegal market Ineffective cross-border collaboration • Conflicting policy / laws (national and international) • Lack of political will Deforestation / logging / charcoal • Conflicting sectoral policy / laws Degrading / declining habitat Uncontrolled fires Encroachment by people and livestock Lack of alternative livelihoods Increased human population, settlements and agricultural expansion especially into drylands e.g. biofuels • Insufficient promotion of renewable energy sources • Inadequate enforcement capacity / effort • Inadequate enforcement of policy / laws • Political interference • Lack of population control measures, policies and actions • Incompatible land use practices and land use planning/zoning • Negative climate change impacts / droughts are not severe in the coming years • No negative changes in legislation • Political good will • Human population growth [ TABLE 4 ] Threat categories - poaching/illegal killing and habitat degradation.
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