•Nairobi National Park was established in 1946, covering 29,000 acres.
•The park is threatened by encroachment, mega projects, blocked wildlife migration corridors, drought, the climate crisis, factors that put certain species at risk.
Image: FREDERICK OMONDI
The Nairobi National Park will collapse if the government fails to urgently reopen and secure wildlife migration corridors connecting it to the Athi Kapiti plains. .
The warning is being sounded by a nine-member task force formed in August 2020 by Tourism CS Najib Balala to establish permanent migration corridors between the park and Athi Kapiti plains.
The task force was also mandated to establish the viability of ranches within Athe Kapiti plains as dispersal areas for wildlife from the park and identify viable corridors for government investment, among other goals.
The salvation would be a major proposed 15km wildlife corridor involving stretches of land, fencing, bridges, tunnels, anti-predator lights, predator-proof bomas and other measures. These include compensation to be negotiated between government entities.
The estimated minimum cost is Sh663 million for land to be used for bridges and tunnels.
Save the park or it will collapse
The task force said dispersal areas for animals in the park are extremely threatened by isolation, infrastructure development, human settlement and fencing. These will lead to a limited gene pool and eventually extinction of some species.
“The need for the government to save Nairobi National Park is urgent and cannot be gainsaid. Critical decisions and actions are required, and fast,” the task for report reads.
The task force had been given 60 days to undertake their mandate before furnishing the CS with an interim report in seven days. Their term was extended for another 60 days from December 9.
The report has since been approved, waiting for implementation.
The task force said the dispersal areas for wild animals in the park are extremely threatened by isolation, infrastructural development, human settlement and fencing. This will lead to a limited gene pool and eventually extinction of species.
“The lack of land use planning and zoning has edged out wildlife from much of the ecosystem, resulting in closure of historical corridors and conversion of dispersal areas for other conservation-incompatible uses,” it warned.
Isolated from wider ecosystem
it is threatened by isolation and lack of connectivity to the wider Athi-Kapiti ecosystem with significant but diminishing wildlife and biodiversity resources.
The Nairobi National Park was protected as the country’s natural habitat through proclamation No 48 of December 16, 1946, covering 117 square kilometres or 29,000 acres.
However, 2,000 more acres have been added after the national government donated what used to be sheep and goats research facility, bringing the total acreage to 31,000.
The park is one of the few urban but wild national parks in the world that provides immense services and income as a unique City-based wildlife ecosystem.
However, it is threatened by isolation and lack of connectivity to the wider Athi-Kapiti ecosystem with significant but diminishing wildlife and biodiversity resources.
The prospect for local extinction of species is real because of blocked corridors and limited gene pools.
The park has more than 100 mammal species,more than a dozen different reptiles, over 400 permanent and migratory bird species.
African buffalo, baboons, the Eastern black rhinoceros, the Southern white rhino, common zebra, Grant's gazelle, Thomson’s gazelle, Maasai giraffe, elands, impala, ostriches, jackals, warthogs and waterbucks all roamed in the park.
The park has more than 45 lions, among other large carnivores such as leopards, cheetah and hyenas.
Hippopotamus inhabit areas along the Mbagathi River and crocodiles are found in the dams.
The park is listed as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas in danger by Birdlife International.
It is an important roosting site for kestrel naumanni flocks on the passage. As many as 5,000 have been recorded, although numbers have markedly declined in recent years.
Space can be quadrupled
The task force said with the right incentives to neighboring ranches with wildlife, the corridor and dispersal area would more than quadruple the space in the park.
The numerous challenges of land use, encroachment, drought and climate crisis are likely to harm the population of certain species.
To forestal the collapse, the task force said it i possible to create one key wildlife corridor between the park and the rich wildlife conservancies in Machakos county.
They are Swara Conservancy (15,000 acres) and the Kapiti Game Ranch (32,000 acres), owned by the International Livestock Research Institute - ILRI).
Together, these ranches cover about 47,000 acres.
The task force said with the right incentives to other neighboring ranches that also harbour wildlife, the corridor and dispersal area would therefore more than quadruple the space dedicated to wild animals of the park.
It said the corridor runs through the Sheep and Goat Land, separate parcels of the East African Portland Cement Company (EAPCC]), the Export Processing Zone Authority and into the Game Ranching Ltd land.
“The corridor will heavily rely on existing public lands, including Kenya Pipeline Company wayleave, and therefore reduce the cost for land acquisition and unnecessary disruptions of existing development and investments within this catchment," the report said.
The task force said there is significant goodwill among key government agencies, including the Ministry of Interior, Kenya Railways, Export Processing Zones Authority, EAPCC and KPC to provide the necessary land and space for the corridor.
The mechanisms for setting aside the land will be negotiated during implementation.
Act fast, tme is running out
However, there is apathy towards this coexistence due to increasing human-wildlife conflict, frequent lack of compensation and government incentives.
The task force said private landowners are willing to partner with the Kenya Wildlife Service and the ministry to enhance management of their conservancies. Some are willing to lead negotiations with neighbouring landowners to join the conservancy model.
“However, speedy action is of the essence as there are serious competing interests in the lands identified for the corridor,” the task force said.
The task force said an aerial survey confirmed significant wild animal abundance and diversity on community and private lands adjacent to the park.
It attributed this to the pastoral lifestyle of the landowners and historical consciousness about the nexus and benefits of wildlife-livestock interactions.
However, there is apathy towards this coexistence due to increasing human-wildlife conflict, frequent lack of compensation and government support in terms of incentives.
These issues are currently compounding the challenge of land subdivision and sale to meet the ever-increasing household socio-economic needs.
Other negative human-wildlife interactions include the spread of zoonotic diseases such as the highly contagious malignant catarrhal fever among livestock andand competition for forage and water.
“This reduces interest in conservation and predisposes community landowners to turning a blind eye to illegal off-taking of wild animals as it reduces numbers on their land," the report read.”
The task force said landowners still value, tolerate and cherish wildlife, as demonstrated by the establishment of community conservancies. It said, however,broader policy issues such as ownership and user rights perpetuate confusion and deter progress in conservation
The task force said despite these challenges, communities are willing to engage in conservations.
It said the areas with great promise are the dispersal areas adjacent to the park including the Sheep and Goat land, Naretunoi, Sholinke, Noompopong, Rimpa and those further southeast and southwest. They include Olerai, the wider Kipeto and the Enkigirri areas.
The task force said a substantial capital investments will be required to realise the corridor.
The estimated cost for wildlife bridges and underpasses stands at Sh622.5 million, broken down as follows:
Wildlife overpass over Namanga Road Sh550 million, while an underpass on Viwandani Road will cost Sh50,000.
Fencing part of the 15km corridor will cost about Sh22.5 million at about Sh15 million per kilometre.
Relocation of some EPZA structures and compensation of owners will be required. Costs will depend on alternative sites and whether owners are willing to forego compensation.
Four plot owners (numbers 21, 22, 23 and 24) had each paid a one-off lease fee of $100,000 (Sh11,314,000) for five-year leases; the owner of plot 14 pays $60,000 (Sh6,788,000)per year.
However, the attendant long-term benefits of wildlife conservation and reduced human-wildlife conflicts are worth the investment, the task force said.
Further, the growing concern about ecosystem fragmentation and species isolation in Kenya should inspire development partners to support a nationally visible program to reconnect the park and the Athi-Kapiti ecosystem, the report reads.
The task force said it is necessary to provide incentive to park partner communities to support conservation.
This will include predation mitigation measures, such as lion lights and improved predator-proof bomas, among others.
The task force is comprised of chairman Dr Helen Gichohi, Dr Erustus Kanga (Tourism ministry), Ali Kaka (Tourism ministry), Caroline Nkamunu (community representative) Jeremiah Kaloi (community representative), Nobby Macharia (Industrialisation ministry) Bernard Opaa (National Land Commission), Sam Weru and Evelyn Akwenda (privateconsultants).
Joseph Mukeka, Bernard Ngoru and Raphael Meli were joint secretaries.
(Edited by V. Graham)