First Lady says wildlife protection a global responsibility

First Lady says wildlife protection a global responsibility

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has expressed strong optimism that the current global momentum to protect wildlife is unstoppable.

She said the protection of our natural heritage is becoming an increasingly prominent global issue and this momentum should be sustained to enable conservation efforts gain full steam.

The First Lady, however, said the success of wildlife protection lies in changing conservation strategies to involve all local communities who co-exist with the animals because they provide a valuable and the most important first line of defense.

“In today’s age, it is imperative that we find ways of effectively engaging local communities as equal partners, and stakeholders in the conservation movement”, she said.

The First Lady was speaking at a Nairobi Hotel Wednesday when she opened an international conference under the Global Wildlife Program.  The theme of the forum is: Engaging Local Communities in Wildlife Conservation in Kenya.

The three-day conference is sponsored by the World Bank Group  (WBG) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and comes in the wake of the recent torching of 105 tonnes of ivory and rhino horns by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The forum is also being attended by representatives from several other countries to share their experiences on the success of involving local communities in conservation efforts.

The First Lady said past conservation strategies had failed and ended generating conflicts, resentment and apathy between rural communities and conservation agencies because they adopted a top-down approach.

The consequence of this approach is a rapidly declining animal population, said the First Lady.

“So we know that this unilateral way of approaching wildlife conservation is ultimately untenable”,

The First Lady said what is now needed is amore synergistic approach that harnesses the complimentary capabilities of diverse groups including policy makers, philanthropists, conservationists and local communities.

She said conservation efforts must first recognize and appreciate that local communities are often the most attuned to the wildlife landscape around them, they are the most affected and have most to lose from activities that endanger wildlife.

 

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kenya First Lady Margaret Kenyatta Wildlife Poaching

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