NAIROBI, Kenya- The Wildlife Research and Training Institute and the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife launched the 2024–2028 Strategic Plan to improve financial sustainability and increase stakeholder participation in wildlife conservation.
The Strategic Plan incorporates innovation, self-regulation, efficient management, and the accountable achievement of measurable targets, according to Rebecca Miano, the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Tourism and Wildlife, who spoke at the inaugural event held at KWS Headquarters in Nairobi.
“The plan identifies opportunities and mitigates risks while attentively aligning resources for use. If implemented to the latter, Kenya will display what modern biodiversity conservation can deliver to the world,” she said.
To guarantee the long-term sustainability of the nation’s wildlife heritage, the CS pointed out that the plan is based on a data-driven, science-guided methodology with a transparent and responsible framework.
“The Strategic Plan approximates and aligns national, regional, and global blueprints, such as the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), Vision 2030, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” she said.
Since the tourism and wildlife industries are essential to the nation’s socioeconomic development strategy, Miano declared that the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife is still dedicated to implementing the policies and strategies included in the plan.
“The Plan recognises the importance of ensuring that the benefits that come from tourism and wildlife conservation are shared equally across all stakeholders,” said the CS.
The plan tackles a number of problems, including institutional capacity concerns, underutilised wildlife economies, falling wildlife populations, fragmented habitats, and insufficient community participation.
According to KWS Director General Erustus Kanga, some objectives are promoting a strong and effective organisation, growing the wildlife industry, and developing a healthy ecosystem with abundant biodiversity.
“If we accomplish these goals, we will have flourishing wildlife populations across the globe,” he said.
Given that the plan’s implementation is expected to cost roughly KSh 98.3 billion over five years, KWS will create and carry out a resource mobilisation strategy to help raise the necessary funds.
Proposals from the strategy would include mobilising government resources, operationalising the KWS endowment fund, and organising effective fundraising events.
The plan’s 24 strategic objectives include increasing species recovery programs, increasing stakeholder participation in wildlife conservation, expanding access to the benefits of wildlife conservation, and improving financial sustainability.
