Community-owned conservancies — organizations that manage land for the benefit of the community and the environment — are relatively widespread in Kenya, but their approaches can be piecemeal and they often lack funding to bend the curve of biodiversity decline across the region.
The Kenyan Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA) organizes community-owned conservancies into regional associations, all nested within a national membership body, to amplify their collective voice. They strengthen the management of conservancies so they can have a bigger conservation impact. KWCA also advocates for national and county policies, regulations, and funding that support the wildlife conservancies. Additionally, they work to increase revenue for conservancies from tourism, carbon markets, and government funding.
Dickson Kaelo is the CEO of the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association. He helped create some of Kenya’s first conservancies in the Mara over twenty years ago and, inspired by his father’s work as a veterinary extension officer, Dickson has dedicated his career to promoting the coexistence of people and wildlife. He holds a Master’s in Wildlife Management and has spent years studying how cultural and modern knowledge can secure wildlife habitats.
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