Scientists raise concern over lost wildlife routes

Africa Wildlife Foundation Country Director Nancy Githaiga, Wildlife Research Institute board chairman Dr David Nkedianye and African Conservation Centre Executive Director Lucy Waruingi consult during the second international wildlife scientific conference./HNADOUT

Scientists have raised an alarm over the loss of wildlife corridors and dispersal areas, warning that the move could wipe out iconic species.

Mohamed Said from the African Elephant Specialist Group, who made the presentation on wildlife population dynamics, said the lost corridors and dispersal areas will have devastating impacts on the wildlife population.

“Land fragmentation, subdivision, unregulated settlement, incompatible land uses and fencing threaten to collapse wildlife migration,” he said.

Said made the remarks at the Second International Wildlife Scientific Conference at Lake Naivasha Resort.

The Wildlife Research and Training Institute convened the conference, which builds on the success of the inaugural conference held in September 2023, which attracted more than 300 participants and featured 127 scientific papers presented by both local and international researchers.

This year’s conference theme is: “Innovations in Wildlife Conservation Science and Practice for Socioeconomic Development.”

Researchers, conservation practitioners, policymakers, community leaders and international partners meet to exchange knowledge, present cutting-edge scientific findings and deliberate on solutions for sustainable biodiversity conservation and human development.

Private land fencing increasingly restricts wildlife.

To demonstrate his point, Said used a number of studies that have been conducted.

The studies show how some of the wildlife migrations have been impacted by land fragmentation, fences and mining.

One of the studies titled Nairobi Alternative Futures shows wildebeest migration around Athi Kapiti collapsed due to challenges that faced the ecosystem, such as fences.

The blocked corridors have also been a source of conflicts between humans and wildlife.

Said said the ongoing urban development along the Athi Kapiti does not augur well with wildlife migration.

In the Tsavo Ecosystem, mining threatens wildlife dispersal areas and migratory corridors where there is a conflict between mining and conservation in the ecosystem.

He said the fencing in Mara has impacted on migration of wildlife.

Said said due to challenges they experience, wildebeest now spend only 35 days at Maasai Mara. “We are losing a lot of money due to this.”

The annual spectacle, often dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World", draws thousands of tourists to Kenya every year and is a major highlight on the global tourism calendar.

Said lauded the ongoing efforts at the Amboseli ecosystem to develop management plans.

He said there is a need to scale up to other ecosystems.

About 1.4 million wildebeest— accompanied by about 200,000 zebras, 400,000 gazelles and 12,000 eland— cover up to 3,000km every year in a cycle that follows seasonal rainfall patterns.

This migration is now threatened by plans for new roads and railways, uncontrolled and unplanned developments and exponential human population growth around the edges of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.

Studies have shown that the disruption to the migratory route has genetic implications for the animals’ longer-term survival.

The studies also show that wildebeest populations that no longer migrate are less genetically healthy than those that continue to migrate.

Wildlife move for various reasons.

Some migrate to look for food and water, avoid harsh weather conditions, when their habitat is overcrowded and to find a safe place to give birth or lay eggs.

African Conservation Centre executive director Lucy Waruingi said there is a need to have an action plan to implement the report that was done in 2015.

Waruingi said the report identified 90 important corridors.

A corridor means an area that provides connectivity between one important conservation area and another, and allows for the mobility of wildlife between the two areas.

The main purpose is to support the availability of habitats in different seasons, so that livestock and wildlife migrate from one area to another based on the availability of habitats as they move.

Waruingi said a rapid assessment of some of the corridors is already blocked because the development that has happened is incompatible with conservation.

“Others are highly threatened. A few success stories, some are secure, especially with the growth of conservancies. But it is not enough to identify and map and give a report on the status of corridors.”

Waruingi said it's critical to implement the provisions of the report.

“Kenya needs to have a clear action plan to implement the corridor report, which will begin with assessing the status of all of them.”

Waruingi said there is a need to ensure that communities benefit from protecting corridors.

She said there is a need to have laws that help define the corridors geographically and define the provisions of how it will be managed.