Habitat loss, change in land use hurt wildlife conservation

Hippos on the shore of Lake Naivasha where cases of human-wildlife conflict have been on the rise. [File, Standard]

Change in land use, infrastructural development, increasing human and livestock population and habitat loss have been identified as some of the major challenges facing wildlife conservation.

The Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) said that the only solution to addressing these challenges lies in the use of scientific data.

This comes ahead of the 2nd Wildlife Scientific Conference scheduled between September 23 and 25 in Naivasha, with the main objective being to share wildlife scientific findings.

Ahead of the international conference, the institute noted that the wildlife sector was experiencing environmental, political, economic, social, technological and legal challenges.

Speaking in Naivasha, the WRTI Director Patrick Omondi warned that the challenges had a direct impact on sustainable wildlife conservation and management.

"Wildlife poaching, human-wildlife co-existence, species loss and population decline, habitat loss and degradation can best be addressed by use of scientific data," he said.

Dr Omondi further called for engagement with conservation partners, land owners and the local communities that live and interact with wildlife daily.

"The government is required to create a forum where policy briefs can be generated to address emerging and mounting threats to wildlife conservation," he said.

On the upcoming scientific conference, he said that the main objective was to share wildlife scientific findings, experiences and expertise with other scientists internationally.

"The second scientific conference will act as a channel to disseminate information gathered on wildlife science for decision making and policy formulation," he said.

Other objectives include review the progress made based on the recommendations from the first conference and presenting wildlife scientific discourses to researchers and policy makers.

"The conference shall be used to provide and enhance networking forums, share wildlife and related research findings and obtain reviews and feedback to improve future work and increase professionalism," he said.

Omondi announced that the WRTI and partners had completed the national wildlife census and the researchers were currently reviewing the data.

He emphasized that the data would come in handy in addressing the emerging challenges in wildlife conservation and updating the right numbers of wild animals.

Omondi said that during the census, WRTI developed rigorous scientific methodologies to ensure that they gathered reliable data on wildlife populations.

"The main aim of the research was to provide accurate data on wildlife populations, distribution and the health of the ecosystem," he said.