One of the regular commentator in my blog, Sheryl recently commented on one of my post; “The answer to your questions that no one wants to discuss is human overpopulation. There are simply too many human animals on this planet. If we don’t slow down human population growth, we’ll be the only living things left on this rock. But not for long …” That reminded me of something. Yes, no one want to discuss human overpopulation. Particularly the Editors of popular media. That is why my article below was never published three years ago despite being a regular contributor to a regional popular weekly Newspaper at the time. Here I get a chance to publish it for the first time without an Editor diluting the message!! With a population of 50 million in 2020, there will be no wildlife outside parks! By Iregi Mwenja Seldom are we reminded that human overpopulation in this planet is largely to blame for the current rapid deterioration of our environment and the depletion of our natural resource base. We lay the blame on global warming, Ozone layer depletion etc etc but shy away from pining down the root cause and the real culprit - homo sapiens. Unfortunately, Kenya’s economy (and that of many third world countries) is entirely dependent on our beleaguered natural resources, a fact we cannot run away from.
No one wants to point out that we have surpassed the “carrying capacity” of our environment and that is why desertification, drought, flooding, disease outbreaks and famine have become a permanent phenomenon in this country’s annual calendar.
The single greatest threat to the biological resources of this country is the current uncontrolled proliferation of the human species and the resulting poverty. In a natural resource based economy like ours, if the people are poor, environmental degradation will continue no matter what legislations we put in place.
Meanwhile, we will continue begging for foreign aid when the cheapest and surest way to save ourselves is to maintain human population at “carrying capacity” and live in harmony with our environment.
Our biological resources are of considerable economic and intrinsic values. Agriculture, fisheries and forests account for most subsistence survival, economic output, employment and export earnings. Tourism is Kenya’s largest foreign exchange earner and is largely based on the presence of wildlife and beautiful clean seashores
Agriculture and tourism are the backbone of our country economy yet the deterioration of the environment diminishes the agriculture and tourism potential of our economy as we continue to add more mouths to fed. Soon, the resilience of our environment that is currently overstretched will give in. It will not be able to sustainably provide for the large population - meaning that we could be multiplying our way to self-destruction! Kenya’s biological resources are considered to be internationally important as areas rich in biodiversity and endemism. Kenya has a network of 56 national parks and reserves stretching from the coast to the peak of Mt. Kenya encompassing 6.7% of Kenya. It is estimated that 10% of the wildlife live in parks, 15% in reserves and 75% in non-protected areas. However this figures are changing as wildlife outside protected areas rapidly lose their habitat and the majority fall prey to poaching. This is largely due to our protectionist policies on wildlife that limits wildlife use to tourism only. We have 20 million herds of livestock well managed by Kenyans. How comes the same Kenyans can’t manage (through husbandry) a few thousand zebras found in their private land?
It is not surprising Kenya is the only country in East and Southern Africa that still retains the old-fashioned conservation policies propagated 5 decades ago, the socio-economic changes that taken place in the last 45 years notwithstanding. Current conservation policies and laws do not take into considerations the realities of demography and that’s why they have failed. Sustainable consumptive use is still illegal despite its potential in securing the few remaining pristine wildlife habitat found on private land. We lack a comprehensive land use policy, have outdated Environment, Forest, Fisheries and Wildlife legislations (the amendment of the Act and the policy review were hijacked by a few NGOs) and unregulated urban development. Consequently, agriculture, industrial and urban development are poorly regulated thereby undermining the very ecosystems that generate Kenya’s economic base.
The population of Kenya will be 50 million in 2020. Currently 80% of Kenyans - 24 million people live in high potential land that covers 20% of the country land area. This is among the highest population densities in the world and the consequence on resource use is immense, forcing migration into forests and wildlife habitats. But our population growth remains among the highest in the world. By this time, the few animals remaining will only be found in protected areas which will be completely fenced off! How will I explain this to my kids?
By 2020, the population in high potential areas will be 40 million and the already over-exploited natural resources will not have expanded. We are still fighting ‘Shamba’ system responsible for re-establishment of forests and provision of food for the extra mouth and wildlife husbandry that would protect the 75% wildlife outside protected areas.
Consumptive and non-consumptive sustainable utilization of wildlife and forests products by communities living with wildlife and near forests is still not recognized in law when we are always reminded that the wildlife in non-protected areas holds the key to the future of wildlife in Kenya. These communities are sitting on a gold mine yet they are some of the poorest in Kenya, their poverty mostly resulting from human-wildlife conflict.
Incidentally, Kenya has many well-funded international conservation NGOs most of which are concerned more with the animal welfare and rights rather than the people who live with and protect those wildlife. Their contribution to the debate on wildlife utilization has always been one-sided as they always mobilize their resources to demonize utilization as the way forward for wildlife and forest management. Yet habitat for wildlife is not expanding but shrinking with expanding human population. Conservation areas are becoming isolated islands. The resulting compression of wildlife in conservation areas has severe ramifications on ecosystems, species composition and genetic diversity. The loss of species and habitat has reached alarming levels in Kenya. Only 1.7% of and area is forested while 15 mammalian species are in the Red list (IUCN) of threatened species. When conservation and development are not in harmony, the environment loses out. As long as our economy continue to relay directly on our natural resources and the population continues to skyrocket resulting in rising poverty levels; as long as most of us continue with our conspiracy of silence; our future and that of our children is the great country is doomed! Mr. Mwenja is currently a USFWS MENTOR Fellow studying illegal bushmeat exploitation in East Africa iregim@yahoo.com
Iregi Mwenja
No words can say it better than these photos
Iregi Mwenja Powered by Zoundry
Last week was my last weekend here in Kenya before I travel back to Mweka in Tanzania. As usual, my daughter had a list of places where I was supposed to take them. Among them was the Sheldrick orphanage where I took them a fortnight ago and they can’t stop demanding for more. But a curious one came from my son who I don’t know how he came to know about it. It is the Giraffe Centre in Nairobi. My family loves wildlife and I was surprised we have never thought of going there. The children sometimes know more than you do!
As we learnt at the Giraffe Centre, there are very many was to feed a giraffe and at the same time get a photo of a lifetime. On this list is the giraffe kiss where you give a giraffe a pellet using you lips! I tried it and it was really nice. You have to try it to understand what I mean. The keepers told us not to worry because they were all females! For the ladies,I am sure there are male giraffe as well!!! The giraffe saliva is sterile and there are no dangers of zoonosis.
Please visit the Giraffe centre and try this kiss of a lifetime as you support conservation of wildlife in Kenya. Bring your kids as well so that they can learn to love and care for wildlife at an early age. If we kissed them at an early age, we won’t be killing them for meat at the rate we doing today.
Iregi Mwenja Powered by Zoundry
I am very grateful to Tanya and Lucy of The African Environmental Film Foundation for donating twelve wildlife DVDs for use in my conservation education activities later this year. Tanya only saw my blog less than a week ago and today I have 12 DVDs in my possesion. They are;
The highly informative videos on East African wildlife are such a great treasure for me because I love wildlife videos but I could surely not afford to buy twevle DVDs at ago! I hope to share this with friends and colleagues at Mweka. Can we make such videos on bushmeat? ‘Asante Sana’ and keep up the good work Mwenja Powered by Zoundry
Three weeks ago, a van owned by one popular Tour company was stopped and searched by KWS Officers who had been tipped that the staff of this company were conducting illegal sport hunting to their “clients” and feeding the meat obtained to staff at their Tourist Camp probably to subsidise food costs and for sale in Mombasa. In Kenya any form of consumptive utilization of wildlife is illegal, unless and problem animal is killed by Kenya Wildlife Service - when communities are allowed to feast on the carcass. Therefore, everything he is doing is totally illegal. It is understood that this has been going on for a while. The man responsible - a senior staff in the Tourist Camp has been bringing his “clients” from Mombasa for Sport hunting, probably at a fee. However, the junior staff who are fed on this meat were not very happy on this illegal business and blown him up. He was arrested with six Impala and two pistols. Three more gun were recovered after Police searched his Camp. Some of the meat had already been transported to Mombasa. I have been reliably informed that the man was sacked by his employer the next day. The case is up for hearing tomorrow and I will you posted on this development. Mwenja
As I learnt during my the desnaring exercise in Sagala ranch, charcoal burning and bushmeat poaching go hand in hand. Charcoal burning which have almost wiped out certain tree species like acacia in the ranch is rampant in this region. Every day we found dozens of charcoal kilns and as the desnaring team have learnt, whenever the come across a kiln, they will find wire snares laid around that kiln. Charcoal burning is “illegal” in Kenya. Charcoal burners illegally cut down of indigenous trees species even in private ranches like Sagala and this continues unabated.
Is poverty the common denominator here? Is it lack of good laws or is it lack of political goodwill to enforce the existing laws that is to blame for this wanton plunder of our natural resources at highly unsustainable levels? Iregi Mwenja USFWS MENTOR Fellow Powered by Zoundry
Poachers kill 249 animals in SAfrica’s Kruger park 12th May 2008 JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Poachers have killed 249 animals in South Africa’s largest game park, Kruger, in the last four years, including at least 44 white rhinos, an opposition parliamentarian said on Sunday, quoting official figures. “A reply to a DA (Democratic Alliance) parliamentary question to the minister of environmental affairs and tourism has revealed that over the last four years at least 44 white rhinos and 31 buffaloes were killed by poachers,” Gareth Morgan said in a statement. “The jewel in the crown of South African conservation, the Kruger National Park, is the hotspot for poaching of mammals among the various parks managed by the South African National Parks. In total 249 mammals were killed by poachers in Kruger during this (2004 and 2007) period,” he said. Morgan, DA’s spokesperson on environmental affairs, later told AFP that the figures “were provided to me by the minister on Friday in a written reply to my query on the issue”. He said that the Kruger figures might be much higher as “many of the animals killed by poachers disappear without a trace”. Kruger National Park has the ability to monitor poaching, unlike a majority of the other 21 parks in the country, he said. A total of 8,665 marine species were poached last year at the Table Mountain National Park, compared with 4,578 in 2006 and 3,378 in 2005. Powered by Zoundry
My four days adventure with a desnaring team in ranches neighbouring the Tsavos was a great learning experience for me and an excellent chance to see bushmeat issues first hand. But this would not have been possible was is not for Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick and her daughter Angela who generously offered me the opportunity to join one of the six desnaring teams that they run in and around the Tsavos in Kenya. Being the field person I am, I have for long wanted to get the desnaring field experience but this would only be possible if I joined an existing team in the field. This rare opportunity presented itself during an interview with Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick at the Sheldricks’ orphans project in Nairobi. After asking her many questions on bushmeat, she invited me to join one of their desnaring team to learn more on bushmeat in the field. She handed me over to Angela who heads these activities for the trips logistics.
On Monday afternoon, I met Angela to organise how and when I would join one of the teams. By the end of the brief meeting, the highly efficient Angela had made a call to the Bura Team leader and arranged to have me picked at Tsavo the next day! I was very excited to run away from the madness of Nairobi, at least for a few days and go to the tranquillity of the Tsavos.
I am very grateful to the Sheldricks’ for offering me this rare opportunity. Asante Sana Iregi Mwenja MENTOR Fellow USFWS MENTOR Fellowship program +254 (0) 723713642 Powered by Zoundry
On Tuesday May 13th, I joined David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Bura Desnaring team at Tsavo East to get hands on knowledge on illegal bushmeat exploitation and the mitigation activities on the ground. I was warmly welcomed to the team Leader Nicodemus Kivindyo. We then headed straight to Sagala Ranch where the our desnaring activities were to be based. The group was composed of the six desnaring scouts from Sheldricks’ and two KWS Ranger who help Law enforcement i.e. arrests. The ranch Manager and his scouts also accompanied us to help in spoting snares and navigation in the dense bush thicket.
Life in the bush is not new to me, but desnaring was certainly a new experience for me. After being dropped at the targeted desnaring spot, the team would split into two groups, each with a local guide and a KWS Ranger. We combed through the area looking for snares, bushmeat poachers and any other illegal activity in the Ranch. We started off at around 07:00 am in the morning and walked through the dense bush thicket full of “wait-a-bit acacias and commiphora that made working a real hassle. After walking for four gruelling hours, the teams would converge at the drop of point and head back to the camp for lunch. At this time, the sun is too hot to continue walking in this semi-arid bushland. In the early afternoon, we headed back to the bush to a different area that was usually jointly identified by the ranch Manager and the team leader.
In the bush there were many little surprises that I am really not comfortable with. However they are colourful and harmless and I always took a picture to add to my wildlife library. I would like to share some of them with you;
Iregi Mwenja MENTOR Fellow USFWS MENTOR Fellowship program +254 (0) 723713642 Powered by Zoundry
Following the tremendous support I got from family, friends and colleagues in the USFWS MENTOR program, I was able to resume my bushmeat field assessment last Saturday, on full time basis. That day I interviewed two high profile personalities in Kenya; 1. Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick of David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust 2. Dr Mike Norton-Griffiths, a well-known Wildlife economist in East Africa. Sunday is usually my family day and I spent the day at Sheldrick’s Orphanage. I was touched by what I saw when I saw the elephant Orphans first hand after the Interview with Dr Dame Daphne the previous day. The elephant orphans at the orphanage are brought from all corners of the country after they lose their parents. They are taken care of and brought up by keepers who from a strong bond with these orphans. Most of them are orphaned by escalating human-elephant conflict in Kenya.
This project offers the public an excellent chance to interact with elephants and see how tenders and gentle these magnificent animals are. My son and daughter had a great time playing with calves and also watching them drink milk, wallow in shallow pool, play soccer and communicate with their keepers. Today, I spent the entire morning talking to Ian Parker, who served as a warden in Kenya in the 1950s and most of his life working on wildlife sector. Tomorrow morning I will be joining a desnaring team at Tsavo East to get first hand experience on anti-poaching efforts, interact with poachers and bushmeat traders and bushmeat consumers. This is an opportunity I have not had since starting my field assessment. Life goes on. Iregi Mwenja
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Iregi Mwenja is one of the 8 USFWS MENTOR Fellows from E. Africa studying a post-graduate course on Bushmeat in CAWM Mweka. He is a leading wildlife biologist with 8 years field experience in East Africa
