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2006 Project News |
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Another new initiative we're excited about is a concept we're currently referring to as "sanctuaries". The basic principle is simple: to help communities that are engaged in relatively unproductive farming (in two key areas elephants return to on a regular or seasonal basis) to work with the KWS to create wildlife sanctuaries instead.
In many areas attempts at farming produce poor results due to poor soil and climate conditions. Perhaps even more damaging in the long run, creating these unproductive farms (shambas) often requires environmentally unsound deforestation. The farming often leads to human/wildlife conflicts, as the crops that are successful attract elephants to these shambas. This in turn leads to the KWS spending manpower and equipment resources to chase the elephants away using airplanes and then repeatedly sending rangers to the area to keep the elephants away.
The proposed solution is to help the communities understand the greater rewards that may be derived from tourism, while helping them establish wildlife sanctuaries that will attract tourism. To initiate this, we will continue to implement education programs and barazas to explain the idea to local communities. In the areas that have been defined, one of the first practical steps will be to create "elephant proof" boundaries using two-strand electric fence strung tree-to-tree, rather than on posts. This method is not only less invasive than standard fencing; it is considerably less expensive. The next phases will include working with the communities to develop sustainable tourism-based incomes, which in the long run will be far more rewarding than the current farming practices in which these communities are engaged. We will be working closely with the KWS and the Sheldrick Trust on this endeavor.