Research Priorities and Programs

To facilitate wildlife research, the Kenya Wildlife Service through its Biodiversity Research & Monitoring Division, regularly reviews research activities and programmes with a view to coming up with a prioritized research list.  From this list, those interested can select their research topic of choice.     

Photo Credit: KWS Coast Conservation Area

The current research priorities cover many areas that include: 

  1. Establishment of the ecological processes important in maintaining healthy wildlife and diversity;
  2. The value of wildlife in particular habitats as ecological service providers and as tourist attractions;
  3. Effects of habitat fragmentation and degradation on wildlife;
  4.  The relationship between the intensity of anthropogenic activities and healthy and viable wildlife populations;
  5. Alien species research and how these alter habitats for wildlife;
  6. Identification and monitoring of indicator species or guilds that can be used to assess habitat condition or biodiversity value;
  7. Impacts of recreational disturbance on ecology of wildlife in key habitats;
  8. Identification of problem animals and especially to aviation and agriculture;
  9. Potential impacts of climate change on ecology of wildlife;
  10. Population viability analyses and ecological predictive modeling of wildlife populations in a changing landscape;
  11. Disturbance ecology;
  12. Community wildlife conservation;
  13.  Wildlife corridors;
  14.  Ecological economics and payment for ecosystem services;
  15. Trans-frontier conservation;
  16. Biodiversity inventories including indicators for conservation;
  17. Stable isotope analyses;
  18. Migratory patterns of wildlife in changing landscapes including wildlife telemetry studies;
  19. Multilateral environmental agreements to which Kenya is a signatory;
  20. Biosystematics and taxonomical studies;
           

Background
The Elephant Programme is responsible for coordinating management, research and monitoring of elephants throughout the country. This includes coordinating and participating in all national elephant issues, community outreach, ensuring elephant security, problem animal control and reducing conflict with people. Given the broad range of elephant related activities, the Elephant Programme works closely with members of other KWS Divisions, NGOs, local people and other stakeholders.

The objective of the Programme during its initiation in 1989 was to protect elephants from the danger of extinction that was posed by poachers. The country's elephant population was 170,000 at independence in 1963.   In 1989 when the Programme was established the population had plummeted to a mere 16,000. In May 1989, Kenya along with other nations, proposed the listing of the African elephant on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). In October of the same year, the Parties to the CITES voted to uplist the African elephant to Appendix I, thus banning the international trade in ivory and other elephant products. With these changes, the conditions for Kenya's elephants improved dramatically with the population rising to some 26,000 elephants by 1996. However, the June 1997 decision by the COP 10 to CITES to downlist elephants to appendix 2 in some Southern African countries to allow limited trade in ivory stimulated poaching in Kenya's elephant ranges. Kenya's outcry is to totally stop the bloody elephant trade to help save this charismatic species!!!

Specific Objectives of the Programme

  • Ensure long-term survival of biologically and touristically important elephant population;
  • To work closely with KWS' Security Division to ensure that there is no upsurge in elephant poaching or trafficking of ivory;
  • To provide close monitoring of trends in numbers and status of elephant populations;
  • To cooperate with other countries on international issues regarding elephant conservation;
  • To find solutions to the problems confronting the conservation and management of elephants within Parks and Reserves, so that the long term viability of priority population is assured;
  • To reduce the amount of injury and damage caused to human life and property by elephants through the design and installation of effective elephant barriers;
  • To reconcile landuse and other conflicts between elephants and communities in areas adjoining Parks and Reserves;
  •  To contribute research of high quality to the body of international scientific knowledge.

 

Policies

  1. The International Ivory Trade

Kenya will continue to support the international ban on commercial trade in ivory and will cooperate with other countries to ensure that the African elephant remains on Appendix I;

  1. Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce
  2. Poaching and Illegal Trade

KWS will increase its intelligence gathering expertise and will cooperate with neighbouring countries and with the Regional TRAFFIC (http://www.traffic.org)  Office in identifying poachers and illegal ivory dealers and in building up a database on their activities.

  1. Monitoring Status and Trends

KWS will continue to monitor the status and trends of elephant populations. Monitoring will include aerial counts, ground counts and age structure surveys. Priority will be given to the populations that have been selected as the focus of conservation efforts. Ground counts in uncensored forests, aerial counts and ground age structure surveys in areas that were heavily poached will continue to be undertaken.

  1. Compression and Habitat Destruction in Small Enclosed Areas

Although Kenya is still reeling from the ivory poaching that devastated the country's elephant populations, KWS' policies in regard to elephant management must now look forward. If the international ivory ban stays in place, and if KWS can ensure that there is no upsurge in elephant poaching, we can assume that over the next decade elephant populations will increase. In some areas the increase in elephant numbers will eventually lead to conflict with the activities of a rapidly expanding human population. As a consequence, elephants will be confined to smaller and more enclosed areas.  This will necessitate closer management.

As these Parks and Reserves become islands surrounded by cultivation, the isolated elephant populations in some of the smaller areas may need to be regulated. KWS considers the culling of elephants to be undesirable for several reasons including: ethical considerations; the disturbance that the killing of elephants would have on the survivors and the negative impact it would, in turn, have on tourism; the destabilizing effect on population dynamics. At this stage, Kenya cannot afford the negative press that would be associated with introducing a culling programme in our Parks and Reserves. Therefore, KWS has ventured into translocation as a tool for managing elephant populations. 

  1. Prevention of Crop Damage

KWS has initiated programmes to reduce the damage caused to human life and property by elephants. Where crop damage is severe, electric fences have been erected to separate human activities from access by elephants. Control shooting of elephants has continued.  This is often referred to as Problem Animal Control. This shooting has been directed at specific problem individuals and has been designed in such a way as not to affect their behavior.

  1. Stimulating Tourism

As a large charismatic mammal, elephants have the potential to stimulate tourism in the Parks and Reserves that are presently under-visited. Part of the Elephant Programme strategy has been therefore to focus some elephant projects in Parks and Reserves for which KWS wants to encourage tourism.

 

WETLANDS CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT IN KENYA

Wetlands are among the most important ecosystems in Kenya and occupy approximately 3-4 per cent of Kenya’s land area. The integrity of the country’s water resources and agricultural productivity is sustained by our wetlands. They are nutrient rich and productive most of the year. During the dry season, wetlands are the only places where the local communities are able to access quality pasture and their edges support production of vegetables and other quick maturing crops for household consumption. They also control floods and clear water of pollutants through filtration. Wetlands are therefore a key source for the achievement of Vision 2030 and the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

Despite the critical functions wetlands provide, they are constantly under threat and many continue to be degraded and even lost at an alarming rate. The government being mindful of the opportunities lost through wetland degradation and loss ratified the Ramsar Convention in  1989 with KWS as the Ramsar Administrative Authority in Kenya.To date the following six areas have been designated as Ramsar Sites in Kenya. Tana River Delta, Lakes Nakuru, Naivasha, Elementaita, Baringo and Bogoria.  

KWS Wetlands Programme

The KWS Wetlands Programme started in 1991 and has been instrumental in spear heading major wetland conservation initiatives in Kenya. These efforts have culminated in the publishing of the Kenya Wetlands Atlas a publication that provides visual evidence of the extent and severity of the changes taking place in Kenya’s wetlands spanning thirty years mostly occasioned by intense detrimental human activities. The efforts have also ensured the development of the National Wetlands Policy that is currently at the final stages of approval. Further, these efforts have led to the recent declaration and launch of Tana Delta Ramsar Site among many other achievements.

The programme consists of two components, the Wetlands project and the Training project. The Wetlands project has two components, the Terrestrial Wetland component and Coastal and Marine Wetland component. All programme activities share common objectives and are interdependent in nature.

The overall goal of the Programme is to promote conservation and management of wetlands in Kenya for socio-economic development through sustainable utilization.  From this overall goal the following objectives have been set:

  • To formulate a National Wetlands Policy that aims at promoting conservation and wise use of Wetlands in the country;
  • To create and promote education and awareness about wetlands at all levels of society; especially among government departments, policy and decision-makers, developers, land owners and local communities;
  • To strengthen the capacity of KWS and other institutions that work in the field of wetlands conservation;
  • To promote better understanding and appreciation of the functions and values of Wetlands through research and monitoring;
  • To improve the actual management of Wetlands within protected areas and beyond;
  • To support community conservation initiatives by provision of technical support, linkages and mobilisation;
  • To develop integrated management plans and support the implementation of these plans for key and important wetlands in Kenya;
  • Promote national and international collaborations for Wetlands conservation in Kenya;

In line with the above objectives, the following routine activities are carried out:

  • Supporting Wetlands inventory and database development.
  • Supporting Wetlands research and monitoring
  • Supporting Wetlands education and awareness
  • Supporting development of management plans for Wetlands areas.
  • Supporting training of Wetlands managers, researchers, developers and users.
  • Supporting development of the National Wetlands Policy
  • Building collaborations for Wetlands conservation in Kenya.

The tables below summarize key characteristics of Kenya’s Wetlands.

Table 1: Detailed classification of Kenya’s wetlands and their components

Formation
System
Subsystem
Hydrology
Description

Natural

Coastal and Marine

Marine

Subtidal

Shallow marine waters

Marine aquatic beds

Coral reefs

Intertidal

Rocky marine shores

Sand/shingle beaches

 

Estuarine

Subtidal

Estuarine waters

Intertidal

Intertidal mudflats

Salt marshes

Mangroves/tidal forests

 

Lacustrine/palustrine

Permanent/Seasonal

Brackish/saline lagoons

Coastal fresh lagoons

 

Inland

Riverine

Perennial

Permanent rivers/streams

Inland deltas

Intermittent rivers/streams

Intermittent

Floodplain wetlands

 

Lacustrine

Permanent

Permanent freshwater lakes

Seasonal

Seasonal freshwater lakes

Permanent/seasonal

Permanent/seasonal saline lakes and marshes

 

Palustrine

Permanent

Permanent freshwater ponds and marshes

Open peats ,bogs, fens

Shrub dominated swamps

Freshwater swamp forests

Peat swamp forests

Seasonal

Freshwater springs, oases

Seasonal freshwater  marshes

 

Geothermal

 

Geothermal wetlands

Human-made

 

Aquaculture

 

Fish, shrimp ponds

Agriculture

 

Farm ponds, small tanks

Irrigated lands, rice fields/paddys

Seasonal flooded arable land

Salt exploitation

 

Salt pans, salines

Urban and industrial

 

Reservoirs, barrages

Gravel pits

Sewage treatment plants

 

Table 2: Attributes of Kenya’s main twelve river systems

River
Catchment area (sq.km.)
River length(km)
Drainage body

Nzoia

12,696

315

L. Victoria

Yala

3262

261

L. Victoria

Mara

9574

198

L. Victoria

Turkwel

20283

390

L.Turkana

Kerio

14172

403

L.Turkana

Ewaso Ng’iro South

8534

213

L.Natron

Ewaso Ng’iro North

91428

740

Lorian Swamp

Athi

36905

631

Indian Ocean

Tana

95430

1050

Indian Ocean

Nyando

3450

153

L. Victoria

Sondu

3489

153

L. Victoria

Kuja

6868

180

L. Victoria

 

Table 3: Characteristics of major Kenyan Lakes

Name of lake
Rivers(s) draining into lake
Surface area (sq. km.)
Maximum depth(m)
Water quality
Lakes with special categories (Ramsar sites or World heritage Sites)

Lake Nakuru ( Ramsar/World Heritage  site)

Njoro, Makallia, Lamurdiak,Enderit, Ngosir

49

4.5

45% saline

( pH 10.5)

Lake Elementaita (Ramsar/World heritage Site)

 

18

 

1.9

40% saline

(pH 9.4)

Lake Baringo (Ramsar)

Pekerra, Molo, Ndoo, Toigibe

130

8

fresh

Lake Bogoria ( Ramsar/ World heritage site)

Wesseges

42.5

8.5

35% saline

 (pH 9.8-10.3)

Lake Naivasha

Malewa, Gilgil,Karati

156

7

Fresh

Transboundary lakes

Lake Victoria

Nyando, Yala, Nzoia, Sondu, Kibos, Kuja Mara

68800

84

Fresh

Lake Turkana

Turkwel(Kenya), Kerio(Kenya), Omo( Ethiopia)

6105

120

Brackish

Lake Jipe

Umi

28

2

Fresh

Lake Chala

(Underground seapage)

6

90

Fresh

Lake Magadi

Ewaso Kedong

105

0.5

Saline

(pH 10.5)

Other Lakes

Lake Kamnarok

Kerio

1

shallow

fresh

Lake Ol Bollosat

Ewaso Ng’iro North

43

shallow

fresh

Lake Amboseli

Namanga

 

shallow

fresh

Yala Swamp( Lake  Kanyaboli)

Yala

15

3

fresh

 

Table 4: Kenya’s Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Sites).

Site
Date of designation
Province
Area (Ha)
Coordinates

Lake Baringo

10/01/02

Rift Valley

31469

00°32'N

036°05'E

Lake Bogoria

27/08/01

Rift Valley

10700

00°15'N

036°05'E

Lake Elementaita

05/09/05

Rift  Valley

10880

00°46'S

036°23'E

Lake Naivasha

10/04/95

Rift Valley

30000

00°46'S

036°22'E

Lake Nakuru

05/06/90

Rift Valley

18800

00°24'S

036°05'E

Tana  Delta

07/09/2012

Coast

163600

02°27'S

040°17'E

 

Table 5: Kenya’s largest dams

Name of Dam
River
Major basin
Sub basin
Dam height (m)
Reservoir capacity (Million M3)
Reservoir Area (Thousand m3)
Major purpose

Sasumua

Sasumua

Athi drainage

Galana

45

13.25

1500

Water Supply

Kindaruma

Tana

Tana Drainage

Tana

24

16.0

250

Hydroelectricity

Gitaru

Tana

Tana Drainage

Tana

30

20

310

Hydroelectricity

Thika

Thika

Tana Drainage

Tana

63

70

2900

Water supply

Kamburu

Tana

Tana Drainage

Tana

56

150

15000

hydroelectricity

Kiambere

Tana

Tana Drainage

Tana

112

585

25000

Hydroelectricity

Masinga

Tana

Tana drainage

Tana

70

1560

120000

Hydroelectricity/

flood control

Turkwel

Turkwel

Rift valley drainage

Lake Turkana

155

1645

66100

Hydroelectricity

 

 

The black rhino (Diceros bicornis) suffered a catastrophic decline across Africa in the 1970s and 1980s, both in numbers and extent of its range. Numbers plummeted from an estimated 65,000 in 1970 to fewer than 2,500 by 1992.  The decline of the eastern black rhino (D. b. michaeli) in East Africa was particularly severe where the large National Parks and Reserves such as Tsavo National Park (NP) and the Selous Game Reserve (GR)  used to hold perhaps twice as many black rhino as currently exist in the whole world. The black rhino dropped in number in Kenya from an estimated 20,000 in 1970 to less than 400 animals by 1990 mainly due to poaching.  All surviving subspecies of black rhino are listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Over the last 20 years in particular, considerable money and resources have been expended in several African countries aimed at saving the black rhino from extinction. As a result, the declining trend has reversed and numbers are slowly increasing.  As at the end of 2012 Kenya had 631 black rhinos while Africa had a total of 5,081 black rhinos according to the African Rhino Specialist Group (2012). However, Illegal demand for rhino horn resulting in poaching was, and continues to be, the major threat to persistence of all species of African rhinos.  The proportion of rhinos poached was more than 1.5% per annum in African between 2009 and 2011 but slightly more than 2% per annum in Kenya over the same period.  It is speculated that the increase in poaching has resulted from societal changes in some Asian countries such as Vietnam.  This t has led to an increase in demand that is not associated with traditional Chinese medicinal use. Furthermore, anti-poaching investigations and intelligence in some African rhino range States suggest that organized crime syndicates exploit, and perhaps even manipulate the newly expanded demand for rhino horn.  In curbing the threat posed by poaching, government authorities of African rhino range States need dynamic responses that are both tactful and strategic. 

The current programme is guided by the following strategic objectives as outlined in the 5th edition of the Conservation and Management Strategy for the Black Rhino in Kenya 2012-2016.

The Strategic Plan defines a revised overall goal of conserving at least 750 black rhinos by the end of 2016, achieving at least 5% national growth rate and less than 1% man-induced and disease-related deaths.  By achieving these goals, progress towards achieving the long-term Vision will have been made. The Strategic Plan identifies a number of Key Strategic Objectives (SOs)namely:

  1. Protection and law enforcement.
  2. Monitoring for management.
  3. Biological management.
  4. Population expansion.
  5. Awareness and public support.
  6. Coordination and capacity.

The above SOs will address the urgent need for additional secure conservation areas for rhinos, the increasing illegal demand for rhino horn and the increasing rhino poaching, and the effective implementation of the Strategic Plan through shared responsibilities.