A stakeholders conference for The Laikipia County Wildlife Conservation Strategy was held at the Sportsmans Arms Hotel Nanyuki on 22nd 2012. Over 80 participants came together to review and discuss the first draft of this conservation strategy. Participants represented government (MP, councilors, county council, DC, ministries), conservation organizations, private landowners and group ranch representatives. 

The strategy clarifies the challenges and opportunities that exist in Laikipia for wildlife conservation, aiming to provide a clear plan of action for the incoming County Government. This will enable Laikipia residents to ensure that conservation is taken into consideration at the County level.

Former LWF Executive Director Dr Anthony King noted that the strategy responds to desires of the people of Laikipia to have wildlife in the County, but for it to be part of the future of Laikipia, hard decisions will have to be taken. Currently, wildlife is not seen as a useful political asset, and is associated with  conflicts, threats, costs or nothing. ‘Things have to change at the national level for things to change on the ground and Laikipia residents have to be clear about what they want in order to make and lobby for the necessary changes’ says Dr King

Executive Director Dr Mordecai Ogada emphasized the fact that a lot of work will have to be done in the context of a new system of government which represents challenges and opportunities.  Dr Ogada noted that ‘Wildlife can be an opportunity for development and the strategy needs be clear about how to harness this opportunity.’

Honorable Ndiritu Muriithi, MP, Laikipia West encouraged participants to be creative and innovative. He pointed out that conservation is not popular politically as a majority of people do not feel part of the conservation enterprise. Wildlife conservation is equated, in some areas, to conflicts, especially human/elephant conflict. ‘The costs of wildlife are perceived as very high in terms of livelihood and human safety whereas the economic rewards are small’ says Muriithi.  The MP stresses that fact that there are opportunities however to expand the reach of benefits. For example in Laikipia West small holder farmers on marginal lands, often abandoned, are seeking to come together and try to pull their land together in order to make it a viable unit. One of the land uses explored is wildlife conservation. 

It is expected that the strategy will be compiled in a final draft document by the end of April, and launched in May 2012.The strategy document will be brought back for validation and discussion in the different areas of Laikipia. 

For a full report on the proceedings, go to http://www.laikipia.org/resources/file/51-laikipia-county-wildlife-conservation-strategy-proceedings.html

Laikipia’s World Forest Day celebrations were held on 21st of March at Ngare Ndare village with 1000 tree seedlings planted in the farm lands surrounding the forest and at the compounds of two selected schools;  Ngare Ndare secondary school and Kanyunga primary school.  The sites were strategically chosen due to the dry weather conditions at the time and the need to tend to the seedlings through regular watering well into the rainy season this year.  

The theme for this year’s event “Forests for community livelihoods” blended well with the selected sites, as the future of forestry development in our country is in the farm lands where communities have been known to grow and utilize trees to meet local demands in a number of basic needs. 

This government’s blue print for development in the forestry sector aims to achieve at least 10% forest cover by the year 2030. The space available for increased tree cover is in farm lands outside protected areas hence the decision to mark the World Forest Day outside gazette government forests. 

Participants included school children affiliated to wildlife/ environmental clubs, AWF, ICRAF,representatives from Community Forest Associations and Water Resource User Associations including Ontulili & ILMAMUSI, Mukogodo Forest, Ngarendare, Naibunga Conservancy,  Chumvi and Ethi communities. 

 Forests and woodlots established through efforts of the local farmers have contributed to providing sawn wood, wood fuel energy and preventing undesirable of soil erosion. The event was organized by Laikipia Wildlife Forum and the Ngare Ndare Forest Trust.

The national world water day celebrations were held on 22nd March at Isiolo Kiwanjani Primary School. The theme this year, was water and food security is very applicable to Laikipia due to the competition between water abstracted for direct human consumption and water required to sustain various water dependent ecosystems. This has resulted in inadequate environmental flows and ecosystem degradation downstream. Irrigation development has often come with a high environmental price tag. These costs range from aquatic ecosystem degradation, fragmentation and desiccation of rivers, to drying up of wetlands. When the water needs of ecosystems are not met, important ecosystem services are often disrupted, including their role in food production and provision of clean water.

LWF was present at the event show casing the holistic management approach to natural resource management through the different programmes and efforts being undertaken to ensure water and food security. Balancing water for ecosystems with water for food is a message LWF believes is  important to maintaining our biodiversity and our ecosystem resilience. 

The Laikipia Natural History Eco Guide is now available on soft copy. This comprehensive and beautifully illustrated 84-page eco guide is the perfect companion for a visit to Laikipia, covering all the major habitats and their flora, as well as the fauna, the history, and the people, while shedding light on what is universally regarded as one of Africa’s – and the world’s – most remarkable conservation success stories. Download it from our Resources Section