Conservation and Management Strategy for the Elephant in Kenya

30 CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE ELEPHANT IN KENYA
Threat Cause Constraint
Preconditions /
Assumptions (enabling
conditions /environment
to reduce threats)
Undesirable
impact on habitat /
ecosystem (inc.
endangered plant
and animal species)
Elephants at high densities within
confined areas, resulting in localised
habitat change and reductions in
distribution and / or abundance of
species of conservation importance.
• Inadequate security within the wider
elephant range (illegal firearm proliferation,
insecurity in neighbouring countries)
• HEC (including fencing) resulting in
restriction of elephant distribution
• Loss of corridors and habitat fragmentation
through elephant incompatible land-use,
Government planning, loss of specific
critical resources (water, salt lick, high quality
food), lack of wildlife based incentives
• Lack of harmonisation of Wildlife Policy /
Act with other government sectors including
Land-Use, Agriculture
• Human population growth competing
for land and water
• Lack of data on elephant impacts on other
species in fenced/confined protected areas
• Lack of integrated plan for invasive alien
plant species (IAPS), grassland management
• Increasing elephant population
• Political stability
in the region
• Enabling Wildlife
Legislation/Act
Loss of rangelands
and natural
ecological
processes in
traditional pastoral
community lands
Too few elephants in specific
rangelands to provide ecological
or economic benefits
Climate change that lead to loss of
habitat, or more unstable conditions
that lead to more environmental
degradation
• Poverty
• Poaching and illegal ivory trade
• Lack of security
• Increased ivory prices / demand
• Loss of ecological driver with impacts on
rangeland productivity and woody
vegetation dynamics.
• No effective global agreement in
significant reduction in CO2 / CH4
emissions
• Effective
site-based
elephant
management
plans
• Stable human
population growth
• Tourism levels
maintained or
increasing
HEC and lack of adequate
compensation for HEC
• [covered in HEC section]
Benefits going to a minority of people
(e.g. lodge owners) who often are not
from local communities
• Corruption
• No policy on benefit sharing
Inadequate
socio-economic
benefits resulting
in negative attitude
towards elephants
Benefits going to the right people but
failure to change behaviour in a way
that benefits elephants
Livelihood benefits not linked to
conservation
Lack of community-based elephant
tourism initiatives
Inequitable distribution of resources
Corruption and mismanagement of
resources
• Loss of cultural attachment to elephants
• Poverty
• Lack of appropriate support
and resources to communities
• Inappropriate Wildlife Policy/Act