Kenya

WCS in Kenya
Transected by the Rift Valley, Kenya straddles the equator from the Indian Ocean to Lake Victoria. It borders Somalia, Ethiopia, and the Sudan in the north, Uganda in the west, and Tanzania in the south. The extraordinarily diverse landscapes of Kenya are home to abundant wildlife that makes this East African country an important place for wildlife research and conservation. WCS has been working in Kenya since 1957 and actively supported the creation of Amboseli National Park, the most visited of all of Kenya's parks. WCS aims to go beyond research to solve conservation problems. Our current projects on coexistence between carnivores and livestock holders, as well as our marine activities, clearly exemplify our commitment to this goal.

The Human Aspect
As tourism represents a major source of income for the national economy, it is in the best interest of the Kenyan people to preserve their country's immense biodiversity. Twenty-two national parks, 4 nature reserves as well as 28 national reserves, including 4 marine national parks & 6 marine national reserves, have been established over time. However, there are many places in Kenya where agropastoral land and wildlife habitats overlap, resulting in human-animal conflicts.

Threats
Habitat fragmentation and habitat loss due to increasing population growth, poaching, overfishing and destructive fishing, account for the main threats towards wildlife conservation and sustainable livelihoods in Kenya. Being an economic benefit on one hand, mass safari tourism also has negative impacts on wildlife, changing animal behaviour and threatening to transform habitats.

WCS Activities
WCS works in various project sites in Kenya. Recognizing the alarming decline of large predators (lion, hyena, wild dog, cheetah, leopard) in Africa and their importance for ecological balance, we have set up two WCS projects in central and northern Kenya. Working in close collaboration with local communities and stakeholders, we are actively seeking biologically sound methods to manage human-wildlife conflicts arising from livestock predation outside of protected areas. The use of telemetrical research methods such as radio and GPS collaring provides us with valuable information on the ranging habits of the collared animals. These projects are designed to eventually serve as models for conservation initiatives throughout Africa.
WCS's marine projects in Kenya include the Coral Reef Conservation Project  (CRCP), which focuses on research and conservation in Kenya's fringing coral reef, as well as the Western Indian Ocean project, which focuses on regional marine conservation initiatives.  Embedded in global conservation strategies, CRCP aims to explore the effects of Kenya's marine parks, global climate change, and fishing on species diversity and reef ecology. As part of this project, education and training in research methods are provided to national researchers and conservation managers. The WIO project supports marine program and conservation initiatives by strengthening partnerships and information exchange between WCS and other marine programs in the region. WCS has also provided institutional and technical support to the African Conservation Centre (ACC), a national NGO that oversees conservation projects in Amboseli and Kitengela corridor.

Important Next Steps
· The predator projects are going to expand their monitoring program to other sites of interest in Kenya. To facilitate project activities, we need support for the acquisition of a light aircraft and GPS collars.
·Our marine program seeks to develop management strategies in close collaboration with KWS and the Fisheries Department, expand regional surveys in the WIO region and further develop and strengthen existing networks, partnerships, and outreach programs.