African Indaba Articles - wildlife-baldus.com

ecology from the University of California Santa Barbara, and has been conducting field research for the past10 years. Stephanie has worked on herbivore ecology in the USA, Southern Africa, and East Africa, andcarnivore conservation in Southern and East Africa. Her current research includes understanding thedynamics of the bush meat trade and developing means for wildlife areas to protect wildlife while improvingthe livelihoods of neighboring community members, working to create benefits to local citizens from trophyhunting and ecotourism as incentives for wildlife conservation, and conservation projects on endangeredAfrican wild dogs dealing with conflict with game ranchers and livestock owners.You can contact Stephanie Romañach at stephanie.romanach@gmail.comKenyans Discuss Their Wildlife PolicyDuring another wildlife conservation and management policy and legislation workshop in Nakuru inDecember participants expressed the view that most Kenyans feel that they are not benefiting from thewildlife and tourism sector and that they should be directly involved to achieve a sense of proprietorship. Notsurprisingly, it was further suggested that the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to be replaced by a private bodyto manage and conserve wildlife.During the earlier conference at the Strathmore Business School (see preceding article by DrRomañach’), Dr. Richard Leakey had already said in his speech to the participants that “we should bethinking about how to secure wildlife rights on private land at a market rate” and in continuation of hispresentation, Leakey lambasted the Kenya Wildlife Service in these words “[KWS] has had 16 years tooperate and [which] at the end of the day is in debt, is totally corrupt, has created a very bad politicalrelationship between itself and the communities and which is going nowhere.”The national steering committee chairman Brigadier Kamunge said at the Nakuru meeting that thesuggestions being received across the country would help review policy, the Wildlife Management Act andSessional Paper which would later be presented to the Minister for Tourism and Wildlife. He further statedthat emerging issues like the loss of biodiversity, habitat and fragmentation of land, human wildlife conflictsand competing land uses have made it critical to review the wildlife policy to realign it with current globaltrends.Editor’s Note: Please also read Dr Imre Loefler’s opinion (from the East African Standard ofNovember 28th, 2006) “Keep NGOs Out of [Kenya’s] New Wildlife Policy Talks” on page 13 of thisissue of African Indaba.Keep NGOs Out of [Kenya’s] New Wildlife Policy TalksBy Dr Imre LoeflerRecently, the Vice-President Mr Moody Awori spoke on wildlife policy. The occasion was a ceremony atwhich IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), as it frequently does, donated gifts to the Government inexchange for influence.The nation's wildlife policy is being revised and the animal right activists and welfare organizations aredistressed lest Kenya follows other East and southern African countries and adopt a new wildlife policybased on "wise use".Awori, talking about the numbers of wildlife, is reported to have said: "We should allow nature toregulate." The sentiments were echoed by Dr Manu Chandaria, an IFAW trustee and board member. Hewaxed lyrical and said: "Let us give wildlife freedom to move and survive!" With these words, he bizarrelyhanded to the Vice-President Sh10 million to be used to erect a game fence in Laikipia and equipmentneeded to capture wildlife.111