The Pancake Tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri)/KWS
Kenya is poised to make global conservation history with the launch of a groundbreaking 10-year plan to save the world’s rarest tortoise.
The National Recovery and Conservation Action Plan (2025–2035) is aimed at saving the Pancake Tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri) from the brink of extinction.
The high-profile launch will take place on May 16 in Chiakariga, Tharaka-Nithi County, during national celebrations marking World Endangered Species Day.
Senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), National Museums of Kenya (NMK), conservation organisations, and community leaders will gather alongside governors from the nine counties where the species still survives in the wild.
Kenya is home to over 80 per cent of the global population of the Pancake Tortoise, a small, evolutionarily distinct reptile known for its flattened, flexible shell-a unique adaptation that allows it to wedge itself into rocky crevices, known as kopjes, to escape predators.
Despite its remarkable survival strategy, the Pancake Tortoise is now critically endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
It faces mounting threats from illegal collection for the exotic pet trade, habitat destruction from mining and agriculture, and the growing impacts of climate change in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid landscapes.
“The plan was formulated through a two-year, wide-ranging consultative process involving the National Museums of Kenya, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, the Turtle Survival Alliance, and local community representatives,” KWS said in a statement.
The strategy involves securing and restoring critical kopje habitats, training local “tortoise guardians” to lead grassroots conservation, cracking down on trafficking networks, advancing scientific research and population monitoring and developing eco-tourism to generate community income.
“This species is not found in national parks or reserves—over 95 percent of Pancake Tortoise populations live outside protected areas,” said Prof. Erustus Kanga, Director-General of KWS. “Their future rests squarely in the hands of the county governments and the communities who share their habitat. This plan empowers them to lead the charge.”
To reinforce that local stewardship, governors from Kitui, Embu, Tharaka-Nithi, Tana River, Meru, Isiolo, Samburu, Laikipia, and Marsabit will sign a joint conservation pact at the launch.
