Covering more than 600,000 hectares of savannah and marginal farming country in northern Kenya, the Northern Rangelands Trust provides the framework for wildlife conservation, community development and sustainable use of the area’s natural resources. The Trust encompasses 16 community conservancies, with the Melako Conservancy being the focus of Zoos Victoria’s support.

The Program Focus

The long-term conservation of wildlife in Kenya’s northern rangelands is inextricably linked to the fate of the local pastoralist communities. Yet these communities are politically and economically marginalised, and opportunities for economic growth have been hindered by insecurity and long-standing ethnic rivalries in the region. This program aims to connect these different interest groups to collectively develop strong community-led institutions as a foundation for wildlife conservation, community development and sustainable use of the area’s natural resources.

The Conservation Issue

Security for Wildlife & People
Historically, northern Kenya was a volatile area with frequent incidents of insecurity, aggravated by the area’s close proximity to Somalia and Ethiopia. In the last decade, action taken by the Kenyan Government and local communities has led to a significant reduction in security problems. However, wildlife has not been so fortunate and in some areas poachers continue to threaten remaining wildlife populations. Establishment of security within these areas is therefore integral to the overall protection of wildlife in northern Kenya.

The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is a non-profit organisation that has historically acted as a catalyst for the establishment of community conservation initiatives in northern Kenya. In 2004, based on the Lewa experience and with the participation of government, private and community conservation interests, the Northern Rangelands Trust was created. The Trust operates across more than 600,000 hectares of northern Kenya and now supports 16 Community Conservancies.

One of the first steps taken by a Community Conservancy is to institute its security operations; this provides stability to wildlife, residents and visitors to the area. Without it, other activities related to conservation and community development cannot effectively operate. An integrated security network operates across the Trust Area with robust radio communications and professionally trained staff. Conservancy security teams are networked and closely linked to the Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Police and the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy if required.

The Significance of Land Ownership
The ownership and control of land is a significant issue in the establishment of Community Conservancies. Land offers empowerment in decision-making on resource management and confers on a community pride of ownership and long-term security. Pastoralists historically practise an ‘open access’ approach to land use, but these traditional use systems are struggling to keep pace with the rapidly changing socio-economic environment of modern Kenya, and long-term security over land tenure is becoming an increasing priority as pastoralists become more sedentary.

Conservancy establishment reflects this need, in tandem with the growing recognition of the value of wildlife as an alternative livelihood strategy and contributor to development for the community at large. This value is illustrated in the demarcation of core conservation areas within conservancies for wildlife and tourism development, which are created and designated as livestock-free core areas. As a result of this changing paradigm, one of the long-term goals of the Community Conservancies is to achieve formal land ownership through acquisition of land title deeds from the Government of Kenya.

Conservation
In the community-owned rangelands of northern Kenya, there are no fences. It is one of the few places left in Africa that allows for the free movement of wildlife across a vast area that is protected by communities.

‘Conservation’ in the Trust model is based on the ecosystem approach, whereby large areas of land are secured allowing for the continued migration of wildlife through their natural range. Within this framework, complementary protection, monitoring and management of wildlife and its rangeland are achieved.

The Trust model avoids complicated natural resource management plans that require a heavy investment of outside technical expertise. Instead it focuses on the development of simple and inexpensive community-led monitoring systems to measure ecological change. This straightforward approach allows communities to use the information in critical decision-making on conservation and development activities.  

Zoos Victoria’s Conservation Field Partner

In 2004, Northern Rangelands Trust was established as an umbrella organisation aimed at addressing local/regional problems and creating long-lasting practical solutions. It connects different interest groups with a goal of collectively developing strong community-led institutions as a foundation for investment in community development and wildlife conservation.

The Northern Rangelands Trust has an expanding membership of Community Conservancies, which cover more than 600,000 hectares. It provides these communities with a forum for exchanging ideas and experiences, and is a technical, advisory and implementing organisation for its members.

The Program Plan

Specific objectives of the Northern Rangelands Trust are to:

• Ensure the conservation, management and sustainable use of the natural resources within the Trust Area
• Promote and develop tourism and all other environmentally sustainable income-generating programs within the Trust Area
• Promote culture, education and sports of the residents of the Trust Area
• Promote better health of the residents of the Trust Area through the provision of better health services and facilities
• Alleviate poverty of the inhabitants of the Trust Area through improved social services, provision of employment and establishment of community-based enterprises
• Promote and support trusts, corporations, non-government organisations and other charitable organisations with similar objects to those of the Trust
  

Zoos Victoria’s Role

Zoos Victoria’s partnership with the Trust focuses on the 45,000ha Melako Conservancy. This is the most northerly Conservancy, established in 2004 at the request of the Rendille community. The overall goals of the Melako Conservancy are to develop a successful community conservation initiative to conserve and increase viable populations of Grevy’s Zebra and other wildlife and to enhance the capacity of local Rendille communities to benefit from the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

Grevy’s Zebra is the most threatened of the world’s zebras and is listed as Endangered by the IUCN. More than 93% of the remaining wild population (between 1,600 and 2,200 individuals) occurs on Trust land, with 9% on the Melako Conservancy.

This is the most recent addition to the programs supported by Zoos Victoria and we are finalising the details of our support with the Trust. From 2008 we will be the Melako Conservancy’s major supporter and important developments will be reported as they arise.