Does Governance Influence Community Support in Conservation and Ecological Sustainability of Wildlife Conservancies? Lessons from Northern Kenya

The Community-Based Conservation (CBC) approach views local people as interested parties who should actively participate in and control conservation efforts, which contrasts with the conventional 'fortress conservation' common in government-protected areas isolated from human disturbance. The transition from fortress conservation to CBC, however, has not been a smooth journey for many African countries, especially in the sub-Saharan Africa region. This is because, in some cases, local communities do not see themselves as part of the governance structure of these conservancies, which affects the long-term ecological sustainability of the conservancies. Using eight (8) conservancies in the arid and semi-arid counties of Isiolo and Samburu, Kenya, this study used exploratory research to gather data from 24 Focus Group Discussions (FDGs) and forty-eight (48) key informant interviews (KIIs) to assess the influence of communities’ involvement on ecological outcomes of the conservancies. Other secondary sources also supported the primary data sources. Our findings showed that the governance model does influence community support for conservancies, and the benefits that communities receive or expect from the conservancies also have a strong influence on their support for conservation. However, it was established that community conservancies have brought positive changes to the wildlife population trends and habitat health. The study recommends the development of the National Rangelands Resources Management Policy and institutional arrangements to strengthen and safeguard the future of wildlife conservation within those conservancies and to provide clarity on the roles of different stakeholders. The study also recommends further studies on the actual impact of governance on community perception, the value of existing investments in community benefits, and the long-term implications of climate change impacts on conservancy ecosystems.