Track: Ecology, Conservation, and Archaeology
Managing Human-Elephant Conflict in Kenya
John WaithakaMiss Lucy Chege
Conflict between people and elephants in Kenya exists in most of the elephant range, particularly where cropland borders forested national parks. Direct costs to humans include crop depredation, and injury and killing of humans and livestock. In high conflict areas, farmers have abandoned good cropland because of the sheer futility of raising a crop to maturity in the presence of elephants. Data available in KWS show that elephants kill more people per year than all the other wildlife species put together. Due to their huge size and tremendous strength, control measures are difficult to undertake. Elephants also have a very strong impact on biodiversity in Kenya, which has far reaching consequences both on ecosystem functions and dynamics. Many elephants in Kenya are confined in relatively small areas due to the blockage of their migratory routes or fragmentation of their habitats, resulting in high elephant densities. Studies show a very close link between species extinction and high elephant densities. Various intervention methods for conflict mitigation have been used including shooting problem elephants, enlisting community support, establishing corridors to other dispersal areas, creating barriers, and relocation, among others. Using GIS to map out elephant densities, distribution, and interaction with people and the environment, we will identify and quantify various forms of conflict and evaluate the success and effectiveness of the intervention methods. GIS will be used to develop a model that provides critical information for efficient management options to address the conflicts.
John Waithaka
Kenya Wildlife Service
P.O.Box 40241
Nairobi,
KENYA
Telephone: 254-2-501763
Fax: 254-2-215969
E-mail: kwseleph@users.africaonline.co.ke