- The National Wildlife Census covering both land and aquatic wildlife was launched on May 7.
- The state says the results will inform decision making and help address the pressing needs facing wildlife in the country.
Image: MARGARET WANJIRU
The ongoing national wildlife census is 98 per cent complete, the government has said.
On Monday, Wildlife PS Fred Segor oversaw the ongoing exercise at Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia county where data is being generated.
Segor said the remaining two per cent is in Turkana, Marsabit, Lamu and the Marine ecosystem.
“The exercise will be completed in 10 days,” he said.
The National Wildlife Census covering both land and aquatic wildlife was launched on May 7.
Tourism CS Najib Balala presided over the launch at Shimba Hills National Reserve in Kwale county.
Balala recently said the country has 35,000 elephants, 1,600 rhinos, 100,000 giraffes, 2,400 lions, 2,000 Grevy zebras.
However, data on some wildlife such as cheetahs, leopards, spotted hyenas and the endangered pangolins are not there.
The exercise is fully funded by the government and is being executed by the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, the Kenya Wildlife Service and the newly created Wildlife Research and Training Institute.
The drive will enable the country to have refined data on wildlife and find out where they are.
Segor said the government is keen to use the findings to find a solution to the human-wildlife conflict.
“As a government, we are looking at this as a challenge which we have to surmount,” Segor said.
Wildlife Research and Training Institute acting head Patrick Omondi, Wildlife Secretary Erastus Kanga, Mpala Research executive director Dino Martins, Kenya Wildlife Service director general John Waweru were present.
Segor said one of the ways in which human-wildlife conflict will be resolved is through co-existing with wildlife.
“The census will enable us to know where wildlife is and their densities to be able to plan accordingly,” he said.
The PS said the carrying capacity will also be known by wildlife managers.
He warned those undertaking the census against sharing the data, saying the only person allowed to do so is CS Balala.
“The spokesperson for the ministry when it comes to sensitive issues such as data is the CS,” Segor said.
Omondi said the census has employed an internationally accepted methodology.
“We adopted publication done in 1992, used across Africa ranges, elephant specialised group have adopted the method. In marine census, the method that scientists have adopted will also be used,” Omondi said.
He said data will be peer-reviewed before the report is published.
Omondi said the data will be publicised, so that experts look at them in order for the report to be refined.
Waweru said the census is critical to the service as it will help in boosting security as well as in the development of management plans.
He said the results will help counties plan well to safeguard the country’s iconic species. He said poaching has been addressed through the multi-agency approach.
Over the weekend, scientists said the distribution of wildlife within the mountain conservation area is fairly good.
The area includes Laikipia, Samburu, Meru and Marsabit, where most wildlife is outside the protected areas. It covers 65,518 square kilometres.
During the exercise, 16 planes are used to count wildlife in the region that has been divided into 106 blocks.
In each plane, observers are armed with data sheets, cameras, GPS machines for navigation and recording locations where wildlife are spotted and recorders.
Planes fly low at 300 metres above the ground level and at low speed to ensure all wildlife is spotted.
Some of the partners taking part in the exercise are Save the Elephants, Mpala Research Centre, Space for Giants, Lewa, Loisaba and Oljogi conservancies.
The exercise will count terrestrial, freshwater, marine mammals, key birds (ostrich and kori bastards), endangered primates (Tana Mangabey and Tana red colobus) and reptiles (crocodiles) in the 47 counties.
Every three to five years the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife is required to provide information as outlined in the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2013 as well as the status of wildlife resources monitoring report respectively.
These reports are supposed to be presented to Parliament by the Cabinet Secretary responsible for wildlife conservation and management.
-Edited by SKanyara
