NOTES FROM THE FIELD - TOURISM AND THE ECONOMIC CASE FOR CONSERVATION
Greetings from Nairobi!
This month we explore the economic case for conservation. Wildlife plays a tremendous role in drawing tourists to East Africa. In fact, wildlife-based tourism is among Kenya’s top gross domestic earners.
Tourism drives economic growth and job creation globally, and certainly in East Africa. It is estimated that 9 percent of Kenyan jobs are in the tourism industry, and that industry is growing. Kenya's growth in travel and tourism in 2018 was
5.6%. The global average was just 3.9%.
The U.S. is the largest donor to Kenya's wildlife sector. Organizations like Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is a major recipient of U.S. government funds and responsible for all wildlife in Kenya. Together with partners, KWS just had a major win in Geneva, Switzerland where it advocated for eight different Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) proposals. Read about their success below.
On a personal note, I'm the new
Chief of the Environment Office for USAID’s Kenya and East Africa portfolio. I am delighted to be based in Nairobi and working on such important issues.
Enjoy the read and Happy World Tourism Day on September 27.
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Aurelia Micko
Environment Office Chief
USAID Kenya and East Africa
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GIRAFFES GAIN INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION
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"CITES" is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (
CITES
). As the name suggests, CITES provides a framework for the global trade of wild animals and plants. "Parties" (countries) to CITES implement agreed-to framework at a domestic level.
At the recent CITES Conference of Parties in Geneva, Conservation Alliance of Kenya,
Kenya Wildlife Service
(KWS) and partners submitted eight proposals, including greater protection for giraffes and elephants and the prevention of any reopening of ivory trade.
They were largely successful. Giraffes gained
Appendix II status
, which calls for the international regulation of trade in
giraffe parts, such as hides, bones and meat. Also notable, the ban on ivory trade was upheld. Though the
proposal to uplist all elephants into Appendix 1 was rejected
, text was approved that would provide better controls in the management and reporting of ivory stockpiles for all countries.
In addition to protecting its national heritage and biodiversity, Conservation Alliance of Kenya and partners are also protecting Kenya's tourism industry, which contributes approximately 10 percent to the gross domestic product and which relies heavily on the draw of elephants and giraffes dotting the Kenyan landscape.
USAID supports KWS, Conservation Alliance of Kenya, and partners to counter wildlife trafficking and conserve its biodiversity. Find out more
here
.
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KWS on Twitter
"The quicker we humans learn that saving open space and wildlife is critical to our welfare and quality of life, maybe we'll start thinking of doing something about it." Jim Fowler #WorthMoreAlive
Read more
twitter.com
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CONSERVATION DRIVES ECONOMIC GAIN IN KENYA
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We shared the above USAID-supported McKinsey & Company estimate of the economic value of conservation in Kenya in our January newsletter. It remains just as relevant today. Click on the graphic above to get a closer look at the economic value of conservation in Kenya, including direct and indirect uses.
The economic value of conservation is much greater than park fees and hotel bills. For example, conservation areas, through their contribution of significant ecosystem services, contribute enormously to the production of hydropower and agribusinesses. Tourism is also a significant driver of job creation, estimated at 9% in Kenya.
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DRAWING TOURISM TO NORTHERN KENYA
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Community conservancies in northern Kenya are becoming more proactive about drawing tourists to their lands. Below and to the right are parts of a new tourist brochure for Westgate Community Conservancy. This brochure and several others were developed with support under the USAID/Department of Interior (DOI) inter-agency agreement. They are one part of a multi-year technical assistance work plan developed between DOI and Northern Rangelands Trust to enhance tourism in northern Kenya.
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WILDLIFE CRIME HURTS BIODIVERSITY AND ECONOMY
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East Africa is a global hub for illegal wildlife trafficking and environment crime. The black market where these goods are sold deprives developing countries of billions of dollars.
Wildlife crimes also threaten the security, economy, and biodiversity of East Africa. To address these problems across boundaries and with multiple partners, USAID established in 2015 the first U.S. interagency agreement in the world to combat wildlife trafficking
--
the Partnership to End Wildlife Trafficking in East Africa -- with the U.S. Department of the Interior.
One critical objective of this partnership is to provide technical assistance to East African countries to enhance wildlife management and protection, and to implement CITES agreed-to regulations.
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What's Happening
USAID has a long history of support for efforts to combat wildlife trafficking. Click above to visit the Combating Wildlife Trafficking portal for resources and lessons learned.
Read more
rmportal.net
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CONSERVATION ALLIANCE OF KENYA LEADS COORDINATION FOR SUCCESS
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Through the Partnership to End Wildlife Trafficking in East Africa, USAID supported the Conservation Alliance of Kenya (CAK) to attend the August CITES conference. There, CAK coordinated Kenya civil society and non-governmental organizations. It also supported Kenya’s public sector by creating briefing papers on each of Kenya’s eight CITES proposals. Parliamentarians, many of whom were participating in CITES for the first time, used the briefing papers to familiarize themselves with Kenya’s concerns and positions.
CAK’s strong preparation and coordinating role paid-off. Kenya achieved endorsements for seven of its eight positions.
Read more
here
.
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Above, the Conservation Alliance of Kenya team participates in a CITES briefing on wildlife trade.
Conservation Alliance of Kenya serves as a vital link between government, communities, scientists and the international community.
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GREAT ELEPHANT CENSUS SUPPORTS CONTINUED BAN OF IVORY TRADE
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In the 1930s, there were 10 million elephants across Africa. There are now less than 5% that amount -- 415,000. Following an international trade ban on ivory under CITES in 1989, African elephant populations started to recover.
But as the
Great Elephant Census
shows,
this recovery was harmed by a 2008 decision to allow a one-off sale of ivory from elephants that died naturally.The resurgence in elephant loss due to ivory sales is one of the reasons that Kenya said "no" to any lifting of bans on ivory trade at the recent CITES Conference of Parties in Switzerland.
Read more about the importance of elephants and view elephant trends across sub-Saharan Africa by clicking to the right.
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AFRICA'S TOURISM POTENTIAL: TRENDS, DRIVERS, OPPORTUNITIES, AND STRATEGIES
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Report excerpt: The travel and tourism industry has significant potential in Africa, due to the continent’s richness in natural resources and its deep cultural heritage. However, except in a few countries, such as Mauritius and the Seychelles, where the tourism sector’s share of the economy is particularly large, tourism in Africa is still at an early stage of development and strongly connected with more general and longstanding development challenges, including infrastructure and security.
Read more by clicking to the right.
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ENVIRONMENT NEWS AND OPINION ROUNDUP
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Travel & Tourism in Kenya grew faster than the regional average and significantly above other economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to new research from the World Travel & Tourism Council. In 2018, Travel & Tourism grew 5.6% to contribute KSHS 790 billion and 1.1 million jobs to the Kenyan economy. This rate of growth is faster than the global average of 3.9% and the Sub-Saharan Africa average of 3.3%. This makes Kenya the third largest tourism economy in Sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa and Nigeria both of which grew substantially less than Kenya in 2018.
Source: World Travel and Tourism and Council.
Read more
Countries in Africa can do more to develop tourism in protected areas, which would in turn create jobs in rural places, diversify and grow their economies and improve environmental resilience in the face of growing pressures, a report has said. Africa’s biodiversity could “transform” the continent’s economy, but at present many governments are scaling back on protection because of limited budgets needed for other pressing public needs, a report produced by conservation organization
Space for Giants Club
and the UN Environment Programme said. Source: UN Environment Programme.
Read more.
Africa’s conservation challenges are daunting. The continent faces rapid human population growth, expanding agriculture and infrastructure, and globalized demand for its natural resources, including its forests, oceans, and wildlife. On top of that, Africa is expected to be particularly affected by climate change, which could produce more extreme weather events, exacerbate conflict, and drive large-scale human migration.
Source: MongaBay.
Read more
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA)
has received surveillance equipment from Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF) to boost efforts to secure and protect wildlife. This was confirmed by UWA spokesperson Gessa Simplicious early this afternoon. Source: eTurbo news
Read more
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USAID Kenya and East Africa Environment | www.usaid.gov/east-africa-regional/environment
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