Patterns of human-wildlife conflict and management implications in Kenya: a national perspective (original) (raw)
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Characteristics of Human-Wildlife Conflicts in Kenya: Examples of Tsavo and Maasai Mara Regions
Environment and Natural Resources Research
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is a widespread and persistent challenge to conservation. However, relatively few studies have thus far examined long-term monitoring data to quantify how the type, and severity of HWC varies across species, seasons, years and ecosystems. Here, we examine human-wildlife conflicts in Tsavo and Maasai Mara, two premier wildlife conservation areas in Kenya. Using Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) data (2001-2016), we show that both the type and severity of conflicts vary among species such that the African elephant (Loxodonta africana), is the leading conflict species in both the Tsavo (64.3%, n= 30664) and Mara (47.0%, n=12487) ecosystems. The next four most notorious conflict animals, in decreasing order, are nonhuman primates (Tsavo 11.4%, n=3502; Mara 11.8%, n=1473), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer, Tsavo 5.5%, n=1676; Mara 11.3%, n=1410), lion (Panthera leo,Tsavo 3.6%, n=1107; Mara 3.3%, n=416) and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta, Tsavo 2.4%, n=744; Mara 5...
Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Causes and Mitigation Measures in Tsavo Conservation Area, Kenya
Conflicts between people and wildlife currently rank amongst the main threats to conservation in Africa. In Kenya, for instance, with much of the wildlife living outside protected areas, one of the real challenges to conservation is how to enhance and sustain co-existence between people and wild animals. It is undoubtedly evident that the expansion of the human society has forced people to infringe on wildlife habitats and convert land to other uses incompatible with wildlife. Human-wildlife conflicts negatively impact on the humans and wildlife alike. An understanding of how the people and conservation agents deal with the problem of wild animals is critical in evolving and establishing sustainable conservation systems. This article presents and analyses data from case studies of human-wildlife interactions in Tsavo Conservation Area (TCA) in Kenya. A survey was conducted among households sampled within and adjacent to the TCA. The study investigated the causes and mechanisms and strategies applied to mitigate and manage human-wildlife conflicts and provide long-term solution to the prevalent resource use conflicts around and within TCA. The findings suggest the need to address the issue of human-wildlife conflict in the context of sustainable conservation practice through a combination of indigenous and conventional rationales to demonstrate that wildlife can co-exist with people. Keywords: Protected area, compensation, problem animal, mitigation
2018
Many strategies have been proposed and rolled out in an attempt to manage conflict between people and wildlife in different parts of the world. It remains to be seen how effective these strategies have been. Human-wildlife conflict in Kenya is an important factor affecting wildlife conservation on one hand and local people's livelihoods on the other. The study examined effectiveness of four methods used to manage human wildlife conflict at Kitengela wildlife dispersal area. The strategies examined included; use of livestock guarding dogs, complete fencing of Nairobi National Park, Fencing around homesteads and bomas, and compensating local community members who lose livestock to predation by wild animals. Data collection methods involved self administered questionnaire, interview and observation, and covered 105 local pastoralist community members, the Kenya Wildlife Service staff and a staff from The Wildlife Fund, a conservation NGO located within the park. Quantitative data w...
Exploring the Hidden Costs of Human–Wildlife Conflict in Northern Kenya
African Studies Review, 2018
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) is often considered in terms of how the impact on humans can be mitigated, but in the context of the larger goal of meeting conservation goals. This article explores the hidden costs of HWC on human well-being in northern Kenya through a qualitative case study of Laikipia County. Drawing on narratives of wildlife as destructive, wildlife as inherently more important or valuable than humans, and wildlife preservation as a pathway for capturing resources, it explores the impacts of HWC on human well-being, situating the study within the HWC, political ecology, and human security literature.
Approaches to Managing Human-Wildlife Conflicts: The case of Tsavo Conservation Area in Kenya
Conflicts between people and wildlife currently rank amongst the main threats to conservation in Africa. In Kenya, for instance, with much of the wildlife living outside protected areas, one of the real challenges to conservation is how to enhance and sustain co-existence between people and wild animals. It is undoubtedly evident that the expansion of the human society has forced people to infringe on wildlife habitats and convert land to other uses incompatible with wildlife. Human-wildlife conflicts negatively impact on the humans and wildlife alike. An understanding of how the people and conservation agents deal with the problem of wild animals is critical in evolving and establishing sustainable conservation systems. This article presents and analyses data from case studies of human-wildlife interactions in Tsavo Conservation Area (TCA) in Kenya. A survey was conducted among households sampled within and adjacent to the TCA. The study investigated the mechanisms and strategies applied to mitigate and manage human-wildlife conflicts and provide long-term solution to the prevalent resource use conflicts around and within TCA. The findings suggest the need to address the issue of human-wildlife conflict in the context of sustainable conservation practice through a combination of indigenous and conventional rationales to demonstrate that wildlife can co-exist with people. Keywords: Conflict, protected area, conservation, prevention, mitigation
HUMAN WILDLIFE CONFLICTS IN KIRISIA FOREST, SAMBURU COUNTY, KENYA
Human Wildlife Conflicts in Kirisia forest Kenya, 2018
The broad objective of this study was to investigate human and wild animals’ interactions that perpetuate human- wildlife conflicts in western side of Kirisia forest and adjacent areas in the forest and suggest practical strategies of curbing and mitigating these conflicts. The study examined the type, nature and intensity of human-wildlife conflicts by identifying the resources that the local people seek in the forest areas and the damage caused by wild animals outside the forested areas and how they impart on the peoples’ livelihoods.
Socio - Economic Impacts of Human - Wildlife Conflicts in Kieni Sub -County, Kenya
International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH
Humans and wildlife share resources in natural habitats resulting to increased human-wildlife conflicts both in frequency and severity across the world. HWC are serious in where ecosystem services are shared between humans and wildlife animals, exceptionally around areas that are protected. The objective of the study was to investigate the socio-economic impacts of human-wildlife conflicts in Kieni Sub-County, Kenya. A descriptive survey design was used in this study. Data collection was done using questionnaires administered to 71 households that were selected using simple random sampling technique. Participant field observations, interview schedules together with focus group discussions were also used. Analysis of data was done by use of descriptive statistics in form of frequencies and percentages. Information gathered from key informants was analyzed thematically. Results of the study revealed that human-wildlife conflicts resulted to both social and economic consequences includ...
2019
29 Biodiversity conservation in developing countries, including in Africa, is faced with 30 many and mounting challenges, especially human-wildlife conflicts (HWC). We analyze patterns 31 in HWC data consisting of multiple wildlife species. These data were collected over 23-years 32 (1995 2017) from six regions constituting the Greater Tsavo Ecosystem (GTE), containing the 33 largest protected area in Kenya. Overall, five wildlife species that contributed most to HWC 34 incidents were the elephant (Loxodonta africana, 61.6%), nonhuman primates (11.5%), buffalo 35 (Syncerus caffer, 6.2%), lion (Panthera leo, 4.2%) and hippo (Hippopotamus amphibius, 3.8%). 36 HWC incidents showed spatial distinctions across the six regions, such that Taveta (43.3%, = 37 10,427) was the leading human-elephant conflict (HEC) hotspot and Mutomo was the epicenter 38 of primate, snake and python conflicts. Taveta, Rombo and Mutomo were leading in livestock 39 attacks by large carnivores particularly the li...