Wildlife census report key in increasing action

President William Ruto launches the Tsavo West Rhino Sanctuary in Ngulia,Taita Taveta.[PCS]

The 2025 Kenya Wildlife Census Report is a significant step in sustainable conservation of our national heritage and one health. 

When President Ruto launched the report at KICC this week, the second after the last one in 2021, it was not for show, or a mere celebration of what scientists at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute and their partners had done with the information collected from the wildlife habitats, but also a reminder that data is king.

Ruto described the report that covered 264,258km2, which is about 45 per cent of Kenya’s land area, as a mosaic of wins and urgent conservation emergencies, for a reason. The report indicates a rise in populations of elephants and rhinos (black and white), from 36,280 to 42,072, and 1,812 to 2,102, respectively, since 2021. At the same time, the data shows mixed trends for giraffes across different ecosystems, which now stands at 43,002.

However, there are vulnerable species such as lions, cheetahs and wild dogs, while the Grevy’s zebra, with a population of 2,465, mountain bongo at 176, hirola at 405, sable at 40, and roan antelope at 21 remain vulnerable. While the report adds hope due to an increase in the number of some of our identity species as a nation, we also have a reason to increase action that can lead to changing the status of the species, based on their populations, that are visibly either endangered or at risk of extinction.

This information should, however, be broken down and passed to the common man and woman in the grassroots communities where human/wildlife interaction is most likely. The mostly indigenous communities are key stewards of ecosystems, and a possible threat to the same if they do not embrace conservation or when they do not feel included in decisions touching on their shared land.

With the multi-stakeholder involvement in the research and completion of the report, its accuracy is not in question, making it a great instrument and reference in policy formulation at the local and national assemblies. It is important to guide communities and counties to shape their land use plans, and hence return to a sustainable system.

Since all actions need human involvement, this information comes in handy and will guide the choice of professionals to do whatever is needed to rescue the perishing species and maintain the growing ones, while at the same time sustaining livelihoods. It will inform where to allocate more resources to maintain Kenya’s natural heritage, which is also one of the world’s greatest treasures. 

And why bother about wildlife? This is a great component in the tourism industry, which, as the government has consistently reported, is Kenya’s second largest foreign exchange earner, standing at Sh452 billion as reported early this year. It often comes second to either agriculture or diaspora remittances.

This report is also important to researchers, capable of recommending more accurate further action. The actions that have led to success in some of the areas covered by the report can be replicated elsewhere, where applicable, and save countries and other nations the hustle of repeating certain studies. The same applies to avoiding errors. And since the wildlife in Kenya is also asset across the borders in the neighbouring countries within the East African region, this is more likely to happen, with the cross-border collaboration.

Finally, this report is a clear reminder that even the wildlife face the crises posed by climate change, land degradation and pollution. It is a reminder that, beyond the scientific findings, action must increase because when nature is healthy and happy, we all will be.

May this report help us do our individual and collective part in changing for the better, in the wild and back home. 

The writer is a Contributing Editor at Mongabay. [e-mail]