Wildlife conservation in Kenya

Illegal poaching and other wildlife crimes represent a huge risk to many of Kenya's endangered animals. We collaborate extensively with communities to combat these various threats.

Within the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro landscape, we support the Olgulului Community Wildlife Rangers. This includes providing them with non-lethal supplies and equipment to protect themselves and animals. In addition, we provide support to ranger welfare and that of their families, including additional housing, supplies, and education. We also support rangers in Loita, Kenya, from the Ilkimpa Community Conservation Association (ICCA).

We're also working closely with enforcement agencies on the laws around wildlife crime and empowering teams on the ground to enforce those laws. We're helping with innovative ways to identify illegal activity and take action quickly to avoid further harm to wildlife.

Where criminal acts are identified, we support the judicial system to ensure that wildlife crimes are successfully prosecuted and the perpetrators punished. This directly protects animals from those individuals and discourages others from harming wildlife for profit.

As part of these efforts, we support the counter-poaching efforts of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) air wing.

Supporting alternative livelihoods

We want to offer communities powerful, sustainable alternatives to poaching and other income sources that impact wildlife. We've partnered with the private sector to help young people in key villages have a brighter future.

As part of this project, we've helped people enter the formal financial system and earn an income from commerce or tourism. We've trained others in better agricultural techniques and improved their crop yields.

Education is at the heart of much of our work. We've been able to support 66 students through high school and university. These students have studied subjects ranging from business to medicine, but they're all bringing their knowledge and talents back to support their communities.

Mitigating human-wildlife conflict

Not all threats to wildlife come from poaching. Conflict can sometimes occur as people and animals share scarce resources like water and food, predators threaten livestock, and elephants crop raid agricultural land. We work together with communities and rangers to find helpful solutions for peaceful coexistence with wildlife.

In collaboration with USAID, Big Life Foundation, Amboseli Ecosystem Trust (AET), Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancies Association (TTWCA), and Tsavo Trust, we've created 55 local wildlife conservancies which reduce or eliminate human-wildlife conflict. This incredible project has protected the livelihoods of over 90,000 people-without harming wildlife.

Combating wildlife trafficking

IFAW and our partners, the African Wildlife Foundation and Kenya Wildlife Service, have been working together to fight criminals who are trying to traffic animals across the Kenya-Tanzania border, supported by funding from the US State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and Delegation of the EU to Kenya. We're improving law enforcement capabilities through the use of DNA evidence and digital technologies.

Ultimately, we want to put an end to wildlife crime. Supporting both law enforcement and local communities offers us the best chance to achieve that goal.

IFAW is making huge strides in wildlife conservation in Kenya, but we can't do it without your help. Join our effort to protect these incredible animals by donating now or finding out how you can take action for animals.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.