Conservation and Management Strategy for the Elephant in Kenya

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26 CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE ELEPHANT IN KENYA 2.1.2.2 Human-Elephant Conflict The rapid human population growth and settlement encroaching on habitat suitable for elephants has led to conflict but equally elephants have sought security which humanity provides, compounding the problem. The massive decline of elephants in the 1970s was a tragedy but population recovery has coincided with changes in land use and rapid growth in human populations. The modest recovery from 20,000 to ~35,000 animals has brought with it a rising number of serious challenges as human injury, deaths and crop damage from elephants rise year on year. Figure 13 shows human-wildlife conflict hot spots in Kenya. The type of conflict commonly experienced include: human death and injury, crop destruction and property damage (Figure 14), with the elephant being the most significant conflict mammal compared to others (Figure 15 and 16). [ FIGURE 15 - ABOVE ] Plate 22. Protective and productive Beehive Fences - Lucy King, Save the Elephants. The cause for this is complex. Not only has development and population growth encroached on suitable elephant habitat, but the improved security, often in areas close to human densities, has encouraged elephants to gather away from the poacher’s gun. Therefore, a core objective of the new strategy must be to improve the distribution of elephants across its original range, thereby reducing densities in human dominated landscapes and restoring a more natural balance. This is very ambitious but with political support and community buy-in this will not only reduce HEC but will increase opportunities for nature based tourism in remoter areas of Kenya where the poorest of people live and can potentially benefit from increased livelihood opportunities. The restoration of natural ecological processes of which elephants are critical will also help to restore rangelands, which have become encroached, and in land that has little or no potential for crop agriculture, conserve traditional nomadic peoples, their livestock and their culture. [ FIGURE 13 ] Plate 23. Mapping Human Wildlife Conflict Hotspots in Kenya. Crop Destruction 1644 Human Death 72 Human Injury 58 Property Damage 183 [ FIGURE 14 ] The elephant is the most significant conflict species in Kenya and causes the greatest number of conflict cases. [ FIGURE 16 - ABOVE ] Plate 24. Chilli based elephant deterrent trials.
CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE ELEPHANT IN KENYA 27 Threat Cause Constraint Preconditions / Assumptions (enabling conditions / environment to reduce threats) Increased human demand for land • Negative politics • Increasing human population Habitat fragmentation Increased development of dryland crop agriculture Increased road construction - Inadequate / conflicting policies • High poverty level • Population explosion • Dependency on road transport supply systems • Political stability locally, nationally and regionally Population explosion and expansion • High human population growth rate • Low or stabilising human population growth Loss of corridors and buffer zones Disregard by lack of understanding / respect of elephant ecological needs • Poverty and dependency on agriculture, lack of resources for education and development of alternative livelihoods • No legal protection of corridors • Greater investment in elephant friendly development and community awareness and engagement programmes around PAs, in dispersal areas and in corridors • Enabling legislation Inappropriate land use and conflicting sectoral laws • No legal protection for corridor, dispersal areas and migratory routes; conflicting policy from different land use sectors • Lack of Government recognition of wildlife as a form of land use • Community and political buy-in • Cross-sectoral collaboration and planning (harmonisation of conflicting sectoral policies on land use) Inappropriate land use policy and practice • Lack of cross-sectoral collaboration • Lack of use of range data available on databases to assist in land use planning. • Category range data (AfESG database) • Government recognition of elephant and other wildlife conservation as a form of land use Competition for forage and water • Lack of policy and practice on equitable management of resources • Fair distribution of available natural resources Lack of foresight • Lack of coordinated land-use planning compatible with wildlife • New policies for elephant / wildlife-friendly land use initiatives Inadequate integrated planning and lack of resources to implement effective mitigation measures • Information gap and inadequate coordination between relevant stakeholders • Greater coordination between stakeholders to develop site-specific mitigation measures and compensation/ consolation/insurance schemes [ TABLE 5 ] Threat categories - habitat loss, fragmentation, encroachment, poor land use policy, negative attitudes, climate uncertainty, insecurity and inadequate resources.
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Conservation and Management Strategy for the Elephant in Kenya

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