BIODIVERSITY

CLIMATE CHANGE

DESERTIFICATION

F ORESTS

Community Conservation Development of

f CAPACITY BUILDING f DECISION SUPPORT S YSTEM f ECO-TOURISM f ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH f ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY f POVERTY ALLEVIATION

KENYA UNIVERSITË WILDLIFE DEGLI STUDI SERVICE DI PAVIA Cover photo: Karsa Well, one of the few water points in the Sibiloi National Park buffer zone

Lake Turkana near Loiyangalani, the 15 years old pier, as a witness to the decrease of the water level

Background and rationale and cultural heritage: nomadic three-year project called pastoralist groups interact with “Community Conservation Since 1991, Kenyan Authorities have residential fishing communities in a Development in Lake Turkana area”. been actively engaged in calling the complex web of social and economic The Project was identified and attention of the donors’ community relations, based upon a careful and formulated within the “Policy to the importance of supporting age-old system of natural resources Framework and Development programmes and projects aimed at use and conservation. Programme” of the Kenya Wildlife tackling environmental problems. At the same time, Kenya earns most Service (KWS), to be implemented in Consistently, the Italian technical of its income and foreign currency close partnership with the National and financial contribution has been through economic activities linked Museum of Kenya (NMK). requested in relation to several in a way or another to wildlife and The following issues and problems relevant issues, including natural resources, including eco- were taken into primary ecosystem conservation, tourism. For a number of reasons, consideration during the Project’s management of Protected Areas however, the Northern part of the formulation exercise. and natural parks, community Country has been almost totally development and the sustainable excluded from any investment f Lack of coordination in the use of natural resources, including aimed at the development of its management of natural and wild flora and fauna. tourism potential. tourism resources, which caused The Italian contribution has also All efforts to create adequate over-exploitation in the Southern been sought to resolve the problem facilities have been focused in the coastal areas and neglect of of pressure on Arid or Semi- Southern regions and on the coast. Northern, arid areas. Arid Lands (ASALs), which cover These geographical and “thematic” 80% of the national territory, restrictions to organised tourism f Inadequate management of the whereupon about 20% of the have inevitably had a double negative Sibiloi National Park, caused by Country’s population lives, and 50% impact: excessive pressure on a lack of structures and weak of the Country’s livestock grazes. limited number of areas – which by personnel capacities. Northern Kenya, and the Lake now risks jeopardising the quality of Turkana ecosystem in particular, are the offered services – and the loss of f Disruption of the traditional unique in terms of environmental a potentially interesting share of livelihood system of nomadic characteristics and host a wide visitors, who could be interested in pastoralist population, range of endemic animal and plant other landscapes and/or in a more indigenous to the wider Lake species, making it a very important cultural tourism. Turkana region, and whose area for biodiversity conservation. Consistently, the 1991 Italy-Kenya territory has been reduced by Furthermore, local populations are Cooperation Joint Commission approximately 50% because of depositary of a tremendous historic agreed to finance and implement a external factors.

Sibiloi National Park Headquarters and KWS office in South Island f Loss of traditional knowledge identified as possible solutions to among all sedentary and problems raised during nomadic population groups, in participatory assessments. relation to the use and conservation of biological f Recurrent lack of grazing zones diversity. and water, mainly due to the unsustainable changes of f Erratic and fragile patterns of traditional grazing rotational natural resources productivity. patterns, leading to overgrazing and mismanagement of ground f Lack of strategies to plan and water resources; variable implement the systemic productivity cycles in non management of natural protected areas and lack of resources, which would adequate services for livestock. contribute to change and upgrade the local social and f Pastoralists trespassing into environmental conditions and Sibiloi National Park and mitigate the uncontrolled pattern degrading its grazing and water of exploitation of existing resources and consequent Goal, resources by the increasing decrease of the Park tourism objectives settled population. potential. and expected f The need of adequate f The location of the health post for outputs interpretative and management populations living around Lake models to tackle the complex Turkana: by being inside the The development goal of the Project is Lake Turkana natural and social Park, access is difficult for locals to contribute, through the systemic environment, based upon the and poachers’ free entrance to improvement and diversification of accurate analysis of several the Park is facilitated. present forms of environmental aspects: present systems of resources use, to the planning and natural resources use, pressure Financial commitment to the Project management of biological diversity upon these same resources, local amounts to almost 2 million euros. conservation, of natural and cultural carrying capacity, access rights The University of Pavia’s Department resources and to the development of to resources and balance output of Animal Biology is responsible for sustainable livelihoods in the arid of the man-water-soil system. project execution, scientific zones of Lake Turkana area. Both monitoring and backstopping and Protected Areas and their buffer zones f Low-yielding and unsustainable implementation, the latter being are taken in consideration, where the current systems of natural carried out in partnership with the quality level of livelihoods and the resources use and lack of Italian non governmental productivity of renewable natural appropriate technologies which organisation (NGO) COOPI. resources are closely connected in a may allow an increase in fragile web of inter-dependency. productivity without further weakening the resilience of local The specific objectives are as follows. ecosystems. Top of the page: f Promote social and economic Karsa well, the decrease f Lack of access for local of the water level development and the improvement populations to sufficient of health conditions, and build the Below: buffer zones South-east of financial resources in order local population’s management Sibiloi, near Hurran Hurra well, to implement those actions with relics of votive structures, capacities, through the about 1000 years old introduction of planning methods and technologies aimed at the sustainable use of natural resources.

f Ensure the conservation of the natural environment, of the Right: Lake Turkana near Loiyangalani

Below: A Gabbra nomad campment, recently abandoned

Protected Areas and of the ethno- f Production and diffusion of f Participatory methodologies, biologic ecosystem of Lake information on potential uses and including Primary Environmental Turkana, including Sibiloi National development of environmental Care, are adopted and diffused in Park, the paleo-anthropologic and ethno-biologic resources, to the planning and management of site, Mount Kulal conserve and enhance the value sustainable development Biosphere Reserve and related of traditional knowledge. initiatives. buffer zones. Expected outputs are the following. f A number of micro-projects for f Increase efficiency and integrated and sustainable natural sustainability of strategies and f A Decision Support System (DSS) resources use are implemented, development actions concerning is formulated through in-service and community rotating funds are the man-environment balance, by training and involvement of established, aiming at income- improving specific knowledge and national institutions, to allow generating activities. institutional capacity. The aim is KWS, NMK and district to raise the living standards of authorities decide on alternative f Primary Health Care activities are the local nomadic and sedentary social and economic development implemented in the area. populations and decrease the initiatives, based on ecosystem environmental impact of features vital to the sustainability f The Desert Museum is set-up, productive activities. of the same initiatives. organised and operational.

The Project is structured in three f Technologies and methodologies Finally, the overall Project strategy components. are identified for the sustainable also aims to focus attention on use of natural resources and tourism and related resources in the f Sustainable use of renewable social, economic and Northern regions of the Country and natural resources management in environmental indicators are to enlarge the scope of attractions the and around the Protected Areas, defined, and all this information Country as a whole can offer. aimed at improving the livelihoods is included in the DSS. of the local population. f Links and synergies are f Conservation of wildlife and developed between the Project Implementation natural resources, and and local and international preservation of ecological balances institutions concerned with and results vital to sustainable development development, conservation, and biodiversity conservation in health and tourism issues in the Project activities started in the second Northern Kenya Protected Areas. region. half of 2001, with the establishment of the Project Management Unit responsible for the overall implementation and coordination, and the fielding of a number of short term missions from the University of Pavia.

Southern entrance gate

to Sibiloi National Park paper recycled on Chlorine-free Printed