Kenya launches a $160 million fund to protect 17 million hectares of nature over 10 years
The government is putting in $80 million and hopes private donors will match it. It aims to create 2.7 million hectares of new protected areas and about 22,800 jobs.
Kenya has launched Thamani Asili («the value of nature» in Swahili), a 10-year, $160 million programme to protect its nature. It was presented in Tsavo West National Park.
The figures
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $160 million |
| Government contribution | $80 million (the rest from private donors) |
| Area | 17.3 million hectares in 31 of 47 counties |
| New protected areas | About 2.7 million hectares |
| People benefiting | About 1.6 million |
| Jobs | About 22,800 (7,800 direct) |
Partners include the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), The Nature Conservancy and Enduring Earth. It uses a permanent-financing model: securing long-term money instead of one-off projects. An independent fund will manage it.
Where
It focuses on four large areas: Tsavo and the coast, the north, the Rift Valley and the west, and the south of the country. Besides parks, it includes community lands, where herders and wildlife share pasture and water.
Why
Today only 13% of Kenya’s land and less than 1% of its sea are protected. The programme will help reach the goal of protecting 30% of the territory and expects to avoid about 7.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2035.
“Its success will be measured by how it changes people’s lives, not by the size of the fund,” says Ademola Ajagbe of The Nature Conservancy.
Another big bet on conservation this autumn: Australia’s Great Koala National Park.
Sources and references
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