23:46
Unknown
Wildlife Conservation and Management is "the protection and manipulation of wild animal populations so as to keep them at optimal, diversified and harmonious levels with the environment in order to yield sustainable benefits to man".(Kai Curry Lindahl)
The aims of such conservation and management of wildlife and wild lands is to provide opportunities for
. Public recreation
.Preservation of plant and animal communities
.Scientific studies
.Protection of water-catchment and/or scenic areas.
.Economic gain.
In Kenya wildlife is conserved in National Parks, National Reserves, Game Sanctuaries, Forest Reserves,Trustlands (communal lands under county councils) and in group or private ranches and farms.
National Parks
According to the International Convention for the Protection of Nature held in London in 1933, National Parks are areas:
Placed under public control, the boundaries of which cannot be altered or any portion be exercised except by the competent legislative authority, i.e parliament.
Set aside for the protection of wild animals and wild vegetation, so that the authorities may propagate, protect and preserve them. They are also set aside to preserve objects of beauty, geological, pre-historic, historical, archaeological or other scientific interest. This is done for the benefit, advantage and enjoyment of the general public.
In which hunting is forbidden. It is also prohibited to kill or capture fauna, and to destroy or collect flora except by, or under the direction and control of, the park authorities.
Therefore, National Park authorities maintain areas as undisturbed as possible. No human populations live in the areas, except for the staff that work there. No domestic animals use the areas for grazing or drinking water.
In Kenya the Minister responsible for wildlife Conservation and Management establishes or declares the National Parks. This is done after consultation with the local authorities (county councils).When an area is declared a national park it is no longer a trust land but a state land. The National Parks are established and managed by Central Government or by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Central Government.
Game Reserves or National Reserves
These are areas where wildlife is protected and has precedence.Hwever, some human habitation may be allowed and livestock may share the area with the wild animals.Usually, individuals, state governments or local authorities take the initiative to set aside the areas and manage them. After passing council resolutions to declare such areas as conservation units the Minister responsible for Wildlife Conservation and Management is then advised to gazette them as national reserves. The land remains a trust land (under the local authorities). Although the original human inhabitants may remain in the reserves, new immigrants are usually restricted or prohibited. The number of livestock is often limited. If the need for total conservation is great, the authorities may give more complete protection to some national reserves, or parts of them, by prohibiting human settlement and livestock altogether.
Wilderness Areas
These are wild lands where development of any kind is forbidden. Even road construction is prohibited and people can reach them only by foot or animal transport. Buildings and other facilities do not exist and visitors must take with them all their necessities such as food, water and shelter. There are no wilderness areas in Kenya.
Game Sanctuaries or Conservation Areas
These are usually established to give special protection to a specific plant or animal community which is either threatened with extinction or one only found in one particular area. Land owners can also establish or declare such areas. They may do this if they want to protect a certain plant or animal community on their land. At the same time they may use the rest of the land for other purposes. Examples are the rhino sanctuaries on private ranches in the Laikipia District.
Wildlife, Conservation and Management Act
The sections, by-laws and regulations of the Wildlife Conservation Management Act (Cap.376 Laws of Kenya) give powers to the law enforcement personnel of KWS.They are empowered by physically protect the conservation areas against trespassers ,poachers, honey collectors, fuel wood cutters, livestock grazing , and other destructive activities. They may construct game barriers such as moats and ordinary are electrified wire fences. This may give more effective protection to a specific area, or it may stop wild animals straying out of the conservation area into human settlements.
Regulations are made to prevent the dumping of industrial wastes into the conservation areas. They also prohibit aircraft flying so low that they disturb animals in the parks and reserves. The law enforcement personnel may arrest and prosecute any person who breaks the provisions of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act or any of the by-laws or regulations made under the Act.
Physical Development Structures
The park authorities build new or improve existing physical infrastructures in order to make full use of the national park and reserve areas as places of recreation and enjoyment. Such physical structures include:
Roads, bridges and airstrips are constructed to give easy access to the Parks and Reserves. They enable tourists to enjoy the best game viewing, patrol operators to work more efficiently, and scientists to study various aspects of the park. Roads also create firebreaks and encourage drivers to stay on the official motorways. Uncontrolled driving off the road destroys vegetation and exposes the range to soil erosion. Off-road driving occurs when the land is flat or on open plains, for example in Amboseli, Maasai Mara, Samburu and Nairobi.
Buildings are constructed for staff housing, offices, park gates, research stations and control posts. In all cases the authorities try to use natural materials (stone, wood, thatch, etc) so that they can blend naturally into their surroundings.
Tourists Facilities are built in parks: these include lodges, hotels, hostels and campsites, game observation points and picnic sites, as well as service buildings (lodge or hotel staff housing, laundry, petrol station, waste disposal, etc).They often resemble a small village. When the lodges become too many, the view can destroy the natural beauty of the park. The authorities must therefore keep a balance between earning more revenue and visitor enjoyment. Many lodges may bring greater revenue but decrease the enjoyment for the visitors because of over-crowding .For example Maasai Mara National Reserve is a beautiful reserve which was recently faced with a problem of over-development. Overcrowding on the Reserve roads caused stress to both tourist and wild animal alike. However the authorities have now identified the problem and will not permit more lodges or campsites in the Reserve. The current management policy is to spread out tourist pressures to be surrounding ranches.
Education facilities: museums, exhibits and interpretation centres have been set up in many parks. These explain the parks ecology and the behavior of the various animals to be found there. Self-guided walks have been established in certain areas where visitors can follow sign-posts placed along the trails giving relevant information. Labels mark important trees, bushes and flowers. Leaflets offer additional information.
In Nairobi National Park, an active education centre provides various exhibits and an auditorium. Here groups can enjoy wildlife conservation lectures and film shows. Such centres help visitors to appreciate what the parks have to offer and to understand management practices. Next to the Nairobi Park is the Animal Orphanage where visitors can observe wild animals more closely.
They are able to watch Rangers care for the animals and learn about their individual needs.
The aims of the education programs are:
.to make Kenyans understand and appreciate the value of their wildlife and the various ecosystems in the country;
This will generate concern and support for conservation;
.to generate revenue to support our conservation and management programmes;
.to offer all visitors to Kenya high quality recreational facilities for them to enjoy.
Research
Similarly, management practices are carried out after scientific research has indicated what specific conditions and problems exist in a particular area.
Research covers the following concerns:
Collection of data on rainfall and soil conditions.
Monitoring the changes in vegetation and animal populations. This is done by measuring vegetation density and carrying out animal censuses (counting).
Assessment of plant and animal populations to find out whether any species is threatened or endangered.
Socio-economic studies to identify human and wildlife conflicts.
Animal behavior and ecology.
The aims of such conservation and management of wildlife and wild lands is to provide opportunities for
. Public recreation
.Preservation of plant and animal communities
.Scientific studies
.Protection of water-catchment and/or scenic areas.
.Economic gain.
In Kenya wildlife is conserved in National Parks, National Reserves, Game Sanctuaries, Forest Reserves,Trustlands (communal lands under county councils) and in group or private ranches and farms.
National Parks
According to the International Convention for the Protection of Nature held in London in 1933, National Parks are areas:
Placed under public control, the boundaries of which cannot be altered or any portion be exercised except by the competent legislative authority, i.e parliament.
Set aside for the protection of wild animals and wild vegetation, so that the authorities may propagate, protect and preserve them. They are also set aside to preserve objects of beauty, geological, pre-historic, historical, archaeological or other scientific interest. This is done for the benefit, advantage and enjoyment of the general public.
In which hunting is forbidden. It is also prohibited to kill or capture fauna, and to destroy or collect flora except by, or under the direction and control of, the park authorities.
Therefore, National Park authorities maintain areas as undisturbed as possible. No human populations live in the areas, except for the staff that work there. No domestic animals use the areas for grazing or drinking water.
In Kenya the Minister responsible for wildlife Conservation and Management establishes or declares the National Parks. This is done after consultation with the local authorities (county councils).When an area is declared a national park it is no longer a trust land but a state land. The National Parks are established and managed by Central Government or by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Central Government.
Game Reserves or National Reserves
These are areas where wildlife is protected and has precedence.Hwever, some human habitation may be allowed and livestock may share the area with the wild animals.Usually, individuals, state governments or local authorities take the initiative to set aside the areas and manage them. After passing council resolutions to declare such areas as conservation units the Minister responsible for Wildlife Conservation and Management is then advised to gazette them as national reserves. The land remains a trust land (under the local authorities). Although the original human inhabitants may remain in the reserves, new immigrants are usually restricted or prohibited. The number of livestock is often limited. If the need for total conservation is great, the authorities may give more complete protection to some national reserves, or parts of them, by prohibiting human settlement and livestock altogether.
Wilderness Areas
These are wild lands where development of any kind is forbidden. Even road construction is prohibited and people can reach them only by foot or animal transport. Buildings and other facilities do not exist and visitors must take with them all their necessities such as food, water and shelter. There are no wilderness areas in Kenya.
Game Sanctuaries or Conservation Areas
These are usually established to give special protection to a specific plant or animal community which is either threatened with extinction or one only found in one particular area. Land owners can also establish or declare such areas. They may do this if they want to protect a certain plant or animal community on their land. At the same time they may use the rest of the land for other purposes. Examples are the rhino sanctuaries on private ranches in the Laikipia District.
Wildlife, Conservation and Management Act
The sections, by-laws and regulations of the Wildlife Conservation Management Act (Cap.376 Laws of Kenya) give powers to the law enforcement personnel of KWS.They are empowered by physically protect the conservation areas against trespassers ,poachers, honey collectors, fuel wood cutters, livestock grazing , and other destructive activities. They may construct game barriers such as moats and ordinary are electrified wire fences. This may give more effective protection to a specific area, or it may stop wild animals straying out of the conservation area into human settlements.
Regulations are made to prevent the dumping of industrial wastes into the conservation areas. They also prohibit aircraft flying so low that they disturb animals in the parks and reserves. The law enforcement personnel may arrest and prosecute any person who breaks the provisions of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act or any of the by-laws or regulations made under the Act.
Physical Development Structures
The park authorities build new or improve existing physical infrastructures in order to make full use of the national park and reserve areas as places of recreation and enjoyment. Such physical structures include:
Roads, bridges and airstrips are constructed to give easy access to the Parks and Reserves. They enable tourists to enjoy the best game viewing, patrol operators to work more efficiently, and scientists to study various aspects of the park. Roads also create firebreaks and encourage drivers to stay on the official motorways. Uncontrolled driving off the road destroys vegetation and exposes the range to soil erosion. Off-road driving occurs when the land is flat or on open plains, for example in Amboseli, Maasai Mara, Samburu and Nairobi.
Buildings are constructed for staff housing, offices, park gates, research stations and control posts. In all cases the authorities try to use natural materials (stone, wood, thatch, etc) so that they can blend naturally into their surroundings.
Tourists Facilities are built in parks: these include lodges, hotels, hostels and campsites, game observation points and picnic sites, as well as service buildings (lodge or hotel staff housing, laundry, petrol station, waste disposal, etc).They often resemble a small village. When the lodges become too many, the view can destroy the natural beauty of the park. The authorities must therefore keep a balance between earning more revenue and visitor enjoyment. Many lodges may bring greater revenue but decrease the enjoyment for the visitors because of over-crowding .For example Maasai Mara National Reserve is a beautiful reserve which was recently faced with a problem of over-development. Overcrowding on the Reserve roads caused stress to both tourist and wild animal alike. However the authorities have now identified the problem and will not permit more lodges or campsites in the Reserve. The current management policy is to spread out tourist pressures to be surrounding ranches.
Education facilities: museums, exhibits and interpretation centres have been set up in many parks. These explain the parks ecology and the behavior of the various animals to be found there. Self-guided walks have been established in certain areas where visitors can follow sign-posts placed along the trails giving relevant information. Labels mark important trees, bushes and flowers. Leaflets offer additional information.
In Nairobi National Park, an active education centre provides various exhibits and an auditorium. Here groups can enjoy wildlife conservation lectures and film shows. Such centres help visitors to appreciate what the parks have to offer and to understand management practices. Next to the Nairobi Park is the Animal Orphanage where visitors can observe wild animals more closely.
They are able to watch Rangers care for the animals and learn about their individual needs.
The aims of the education programs are:
.to make Kenyans understand and appreciate the value of their wildlife and the various ecosystems in the country;
This will generate concern and support for conservation;
.to generate revenue to support our conservation and management programmes;
.to offer all visitors to Kenya high quality recreational facilities for them to enjoy.
Research
Similarly, management practices are carried out after scientific research has indicated what specific conditions and problems exist in a particular area.
Research covers the following concerns:
Collection of data on rainfall and soil conditions.
Monitoring the changes in vegetation and animal populations. This is done by measuring vegetation density and carrying out animal censuses (counting).
Assessment of plant and animal populations to find out whether any species is threatened or endangered.
Socio-economic studies to identify human and wildlife conflicts.
Animal behavior and ecology.
Posted in: Exotic Locations
0 comments:
Post a Comment