Securing habitat that holds 70 per cent of Kenya's wildlife

Conservation heavyweights held a milestone meeting in Nairobi today, paving the way to secure Kenya’s Southern Rangelands, a critical habitat for 70% of the country’s wildlife population.  

The Government of Kenya, in consultation with the Conservation Alliance of Kenya, The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and other conservation partners, met in the capital to discuss steps to safeguard Tsavo, Amboseli, Loita and the Maasai Mara landscapes—all are key wildlife corridors and dispersal areas for elephants and other wildlife species.

Agreeing objectives to enhance habitat connectivity for the well-being of people and wildlife will also ensure Room to Roam for large mammals, especially elephants and giraffes.

“IFAW’s mission is to be disruptive,” said IFAW CEO and President Azzedine Downes.

“We must go beyond statistics to find nature-based solutions for biodiversity. Let’s prioritise saving nature—and not just the economics of it. There is a misconception that if saving nature does not make economic sense, our environment isn’t worth protecting. We will be committing suicide if we only think about economics and sideline nature. Migratory corridors enable species to move vast distances and become markers for saving biodiversity and human livelihoods,” said Downes.
 
Ms Silvia Museiya, Principal Secretary for the State Department of Wildlife, urged all stakeholders to work in partnership and foster synergies to address threats to biodiversity.

“At least 25,000 acres of land between Nairobi National Park and the Athi-Kapiti plains has been restored, reclaiming a critical wildlife dispersal area. This aligns with the presidential directive to implement Kenya’s National Wildlife Migratory Corridors and Dispersal Areas report recommendations. Tackling the challenge of land use planning is central to ensuring habitat connectivity for wildlife and people. There is a need for an integrated policy framework to secure our wildlife corridors and dispersal areas to ensure wildlife and human communities thrive,” said Museiya.

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Media contact:

Guyo Adhi, Communications Officer, East Africa.

gadhi@ifaw.org

+254 701 928 662 (phone or WhatsApp)

About IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare)  

IFAW is a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together. We are experts and everyday people, working across seas, oceans and in more than 40 countries around the world. We rescue, rehabilitate and release animals, and we restore and protect their natural habitats. The problems we’re up against are urgent and complicated. To solve them, we match fresh thinking with bold action. We partner with local communities, governments, non-governmental organisations and businesses. Together, we pioneer new and innovative ways to help all species flourish. See how at ifaw.org