Press ReleaseA NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON BIODIVERSITY 2010
Biodiversity, Land Use and Climate Change:
Towards a Comprehensive Conservation Framework
Intercontinental Hotel
Nairobi
15th to 17th September
Kenya ranks among the world’s top wildlife tourism spots. Little known is that Kenya is also one of the richest countries in Africa for its biodiversity—the sheer wealth of its animals, plants and habitats.
The “natural capital” provided by Kenya’s biodiversity is the engine of our farming, ranching, fisheries, forestry, wildlife and tourism industries. Wood fuels supplies over half our domestic energy. Despite its importance, biodiversity has barely featured in Kenya’s gross domestic production. It took the destruction of the Mau Forest to raise public alarm over the loss of river flows, erosion and the downstream costs to farmers, ranchers, national parks and our economy. Each year, billions of shillings worth of Kenya’s natural capital is being destroyed far faster than it being replaced. The destruction of our rangelands has halved wildlife populations in the last 30 years and intensified droughts, resulting in a 70 percent loss of pastoral livestock in 2009.
Recognizing the importance of our natural capital, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, together with a coalition of conservation bodies, businesses, donors and local communities, are organizing a conference on Biodiversity, Land Use and Climate Change in Nairobi from the 15th to 17th September. The conference will mark Kenya’s participation in the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity 2010.
The conference reviews the wealth of Kenya’s biological diversity, looks at the challenges of a growing population, expanding land use and climate change. It also considers how to improve livelihoods and sustain economic growth through better conservation policies and practices in keeping with Vision 2030 and the Conventional on Biological Diversity.
Before the new constitution, Kenya was edging towards a national biodiversity policy and comprehensive conservation framework. The passage of the constitution on August 4th 2010 adds new urgency to the task in devolving political power and granting a raft of rights to all citizens. Among them are rights to land, property and an equitable sharing of natural resources. In keeping with the new constitution, the conference will be open to the public and quicken the tempo for a new decentralized way of conserving our biodiversity and natural capital.
Conserving our natural capital depends on a full inventory of species and filling the gaps left by our parks and reserves. How can this ambitious task be achieved using new technical skills, training and collaboration between government agencies and new public-private partnerships?
The conference looks at the major threats to biological wealth and how they can be averted. Standing in the way of reversing the losses to natural capital is the lack of rights to land and resources, and the incentive to invest in conservation. Climate changes could add to the environmental and social cost.
Rural communities stand to gain from the new constitutional mandate and from payments for ecological services such as carbon markets, grass banks, reforestation that boosts water catchment, timber and fuel-wood supplies. Landowners can set up conservancies that protect biodiversity and foster tourism. Vision 2020 will open up yet more gains from renewable energy sources such as biomass, solar and wind in Kenya’s post-oil economy. Kenya’s increasingly congested national parks and beach tourism can be expanded several fold by diversifying visitation to new destinations that reflect the wealth of our biodiversity, landscapes and culture.
The conference concludes with discussions on a new national biodiversity framework and policy that reflects Vision 2030 and Kenya’s far-reaching constitutional changes.
