• British photographer Graeme Green is raising awareness on the crisis facing wildlife
• It involves photography and advocating conservation of wildlife and their ecosystems
Image: TEVIN MWENDA
Have you ever wondered where the phrase 'Big Five' came from? It is commonly used to refer to the elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo.
These iconic species were named the Big Five by bush hunters, who considered these animals the most difficult to hunt in the African savanna.
In a bid to reclaim this name, various photographers, conservancies and journalists from around the world, including Kenya, have come together to create the New Big Five project.
In April, the project announced the winners of a global competition in which they asked people from around the world to vote for a new set of Big Five animals that would represent the other wildlife and act as ambassadors when it comes to conservation of their habitat.
The most-voted-for animals from the competition were the elephants, lions, gorillas, tigers and polar bears.
The project is the brainchild of British photographer Graeme Green, who aims to raise awareness about the crisis facing the world’s wildlife from threats, including habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, poaching, illegal wildlife trade and climate change.
It is focused on photography and advocating the conservation of wildlife and their ecosystems.
Two of the animals that made the list of the new Big Five — elephants and lions — can be found in Kenya. The project, therefore, offers a great opportunity to create awareness on the importance of conserving wildlife and the challenges that are currently being experienced when it comes to conserving wildlife and their habitats.
For example, currently, there are an estimated 447,500 elephants left on the planet, including 415,000 African elephants (down from 1.2 million in the 1970s). The African forest elephant is now listed by the IUCN as Critically Endangered and the African savanna elephant as Endangered, following dramatic declines over several decades. This has largely been caused by poaching of elephants for ivory and the rise in human–wildlife conflict.
On the other hand, the population of lions has declined by around 50 per cent in the last 25 years. Lions occupy just eight per cent of their historic range. Recent estimates suggest there are around 20,000-25,000 lions remaining in the wild, though there could be fewer than 20,000. Bushmeat hunting (which reduces lion’s prey), habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict are all major factors.
The project also offers an incentive to the Kenyan tourism sector as it aims to encourage people to travel to the regions where the big five are located. Kenya’s economy heavily relies on tourism as a revenue generator.
Travelling to these regions to see the animals, in this case elephants and lions, creates a revenue stream that should be directed towards the conservation of the animals. It creates employment for the locals. It also assists in talking about conservation and preservation of the habitats of wildlife.
The project can also be used to showcase what Kenya has to offer in terms of a tourist destination. This is because apart from coming to see the elephants and the lions, tourists can have a chance to visit other parts of Kenya.
The New Big Five project also presents an opportunity to reimagine and create content-based conservation tourism in Kenya. It can be used to promote tourism while advocating conservation as the central goal.
Wildlife Direct CEO Dr Paula Kahumbu says, “The New Big Five project will offer an opportunity to respect wildlife for reasons other than as targets for our cruel games, and atone for our violence by pouring love, admiration and respect into a new understanding of the Big Five.”
In Kenya, the project offers a great chance to highlight the pride of our elephants and lions and the importance of ensuring their conservation.
Organisations involved in the Big Five project include: African Wildlife Foundation, Save The Elephants, Ewaso Lions, Wildlife Direct, Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association, Kenya Wildlife Trust, Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association.
Other partners include photographers such as Clement Kiragu, wildlife enthusiasts and conversationalists such as Dr Kahumbu and Kaluki Paul Mutuku.
To find out more about the New Big Five Project and how you can be a part of it, visit: https://www.newbig5.com/