NAROK, Kenya, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Wednesday launched a year-long national wildlife census whose results will boost conservation programs for iconic species facing climatic and human-induced threats.
The census, which will be undertaken in a phased approach, will run until June 2025 and is aimed at establishing the exact number of species in land and aquatic areas across the country.
The exercise comes at a time when there is a decrease in wild animals as a result of human-wildlife conflict and constant prolonged drought normally experienced in their ecosystems.
Alfred Mutua, the cabinet secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, said the exercise is aimed at establishing the current status of wildlife populations, trends, and their distribution across Kenya.
"This census will provide invaluable data that will inform evidence-based decision-making, conservation strategies, policymaking, and hereby contribute to ultimate sustainable management practices to protect the Nation's rich biodiversity," said Mutua during the launch at Narok airstrip, on the outskirts of the well-known Maasai Mara Game Reserve, southwest of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
The last census exercise was conducted in 2021 and over 30 species of mammals, birds, and marine species were counted in various ecosystems.
Mutua said that the exercise is undertaken every three years in line with ecological cycles of fecundity and mortality.
"The accurate data on wildlife will guide the allocation of resources, ensuring that critical areas receive the attention and funding they require. It will also inform communities on the best conservation efforts promoting the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA). This transparency and inclusion will reinforce the role of communities as stewards of our wildlife heritage," he said.
Kenya's rich wildlife resource is one of the key economic pillars of the country.
The country, however, is not receiving optimized benefits as anticipated due to inadequate knowledge of the status of the country's wildlife populations as there is no comprehensive population data for many species of wildlife information management.
Patrick Omondi, chief executive officer and director of the state-owned Wildlife Research and Training Institute, said the first phase of the census has prioritized the Maasai Mara and will run until June 22.
Omondi said other ecosystems in the pipeline include Amboseli-Magadi, Coastal marine mega-fauna, and Athi-Kapiti ecosystems, as well as the closed wildlife areas of Ruma and Lake Nakuru National Parks, Mwea National Reserve, and Solio Conservancy. The second phase will count the rest of the country.
He said that they have developed rigorous scientific methodologies to conduct the wildlife census which will ensure that they gather reliable data on wildlife populations, their distribution, and their habitats.
"We will use advanced technologies such as satellite imagery, GPS tracking, and drone surveys, we aim to achieve a level of precision and detail that is unprecedented," Omondi said.
Kenya's key wildlife landscapes are currently facing multiple challenges, including increasing human and livestock populations, impacts of global climate change, the spread of invasive and alien species, and the dangers of infectious zoonotic diseases that require frequent monitoring.
Mutua said Kenya is endowed with a wide diversity of ecosystems including forests, savannas, freshwater and marine; and more than 35,000 wild species of fauna and flora that constitute the country's biodiversity. The numbers from the tally have been used to inform formulation and update national species recovery and action plans in conservation areas.
The Kenyan official said the comprehensive wildlife data obtained from wildlife censuses will provide current data and information to support the development of counties' spatial plans as well as protected areas and ecosystem management plans. ■