Kenya Wildlife Service to spend Sh1.2m on study to identify resources

By Renson Mnyamwezi

Taita-Taveta, Kenya: The Kenya Wildlife Service is conducting a study to establish important biological resources in the Tsavo Conservation Area (TCA) in Taita-Taveta County.

The conservation body said the study would come up with an inventory of biodiversity resources including reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals and various plant species as well as potential tourism products.

TCA Assistant Director, Community Wildlife Service Michael Wanjau disclosed that the three-month phase one study to be conducted in local ranches will cost more than Sh1.2 million.

“The phase one project is covering nine ranches in Kasigau corridor, Tsavo East and West national parks and Mkomazi elephant corridor in Tanzania. The study will determine an inventory of natural resources within wildlife corridors with emphasis on elephants,” he said.

Other studies to be conducted include an inventory on non-biological resources.

Mr Wanjau said once the study is complete, marketing of the products would be easy by promoting ranches as alternative tourism destinations.

Community conservancies

“We are establishing a tourism marketing platform for local ranches with the view to convert them into community wildlife conservancies for ecotourism development,” he said.

The director said TCA has about 13,000 elephants and out of these, 40 per cent live in ranches and human settlements.

Speaking to The Standard in Mwatate town Tuesday, the director said once eco-tourism is fully established, it will be a major transformation of the county economy.

The chairman of the Taita-Taveta Ranchers Association Bongosa Mcharo said lack of title deeds and credit facilities were some of the major challenges facing local livestock traders in improving their ranches.