Kenya bets $160 million that conservation works best when the neighbours share in it

At Maktau in Tsavo West, the Kenya Wildlife Service has launched Thamani Asili, a ten-year, $160 million programme built on a simple conviction, in Director General Erustus Kanga's words: 'KWS and the community are one family.' Jointly funded by the Government of Kenya and The Nature Conservancy, it will support more than 130 community conservancies across four landscapes covering 31 counties, is expected to benefit about 1.6 million people, and aims to create more than 20,000 direct and indirect jobs — pairing wildlife protection with practical help for the families who live alongside elephants and lions, from conflict mitigation to livelihoods.

SDG 15 · Life on land — Mechanism: institutional program