Conservancies

The Northern Rangelands Trust has an expanding membership of Community Conservancies (community-led conservation initiatives), all located in northern Kenya. Collectively these conservancies are home to approximately 60,000 pastoralists of different ethnic origin including Samburu, Rendille, Laikipiak Maasai and Meru. Each Community Conservancy hosts a unique suite of wildlife and plant species which serve to focus the community’s conservation and development goals.

The Significance of Land Ownership
The ownership and control of land is a significant issue in the establishment of Community Conservancies. Land not only offers empowerment in decision-making on resource management, but it also confers on a community pride of ownership and long-term security. Pastoralists historically practise an “open access” approach to land use, but these traditional use systems are struggling to keep pace with the rapidly changing socio-economic environment of modern Kenya, and long-term security over land tenure is becoming an increasing priority as pastoralists become more sedentary.

Conservancy establishment reflects this need in tandem with the growing recognition of the value of wildlife as an alternative livelihood strategy and contributor to development for the community at large. This value is amply illustrated in the demarcation of core conservation areas within conservancies for wildlife and tourism development, which are created and designated as livestock-free core areas. As a result of this changing paradigm one of the long-term goals of the Community Conservancies is to achieve formal land ownership through acquisition of land title deeds from the Government of Kenya.

• Ensures the conservation goals of the community are met through development of by-laws governing the use of natural resources
• Provides security to the Conservancy’s residents, its wildlife and its visitors
• Acts as the development arm for the community by developing wildlife-based enterprises, from tourism to small businesses
• Promotes improved rangeland management and livestock grazing systems by and between communities
• Promotes and supports access to education for community members through scholarships for secondary and higher education, and the development of school conservation clubs
• Ensures that the wider community is fully engaged in the Conservancy’s activities and management decisions through the Annual General Meetings and exposure tours for community members to other community conservation initiatives
• Reinforces the direct link between community development and conservation
• Provides a framework for fundraising and a reliable mechanism for donor linkage
• Legalises its operations by ensuring it is officially registered with the government  

How Does a Community Conservancy Typically Operate?

The standard organisational structure for a Community Conservancy in the Northern Rangelands Trust model is shown below. The departments of Security & Ecological Monitoring, Community Development, and Finance are key to the successful implementation of the conservation goals. Each Community Conservancy operates on a pre-planned budget that is strictly controlled by the Board. External consultants conduct a formal audit at the end of the financial year.