By David Western

Following the year-long moratorium on developments NEMA (National Environmental Authority) issued pending a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Amboseli Ecosystem Management Plan (AEMP), Amboseli Ecosystem Trust (AET) raised the $100,000 from the NGOs and KWS to conduct the review. LCAOF has been kept abreast of progress in previous reports. Following a very professional and participatory process, the Strategic Environmental Assessment was approved by the steering committee in November.

NEMA subsequently issued a letter of authorization granting AET authorization over the plan. The gazette binds all government agencies, land owners and developers to the provisions of AEMP. The plan zones the Amboseli ecosystem according to best land uses and tourism intensity zones. It also calls for a clear demarcation of wildlife dispersal areas and corridors. The SEA of an ecosystem management plan is the first of its kind for Kenya and possibly Africa. It is a landmark in granting the landowner association the responsibility for implementation oversight and integrated natural resource management of the ecosystem.

It also calls for livestock and water plans to be drawn up in the coming year. There has been enormous interest in the SEA process from other landowner association, NGOs and most recently the US Ambassador. He paid a visit to Amboseli in October to review the plans and discuss US funding for similar initiatives.The gazetted land use plan comes at a time when a new grant from the Global Environmental Facility, administered through KWS, will inject four years of funding into biodiversity conservation and habitat restoration of the Amboseli ecosystem.

ACC will also help set up the Nongotiak Resource Centre under contract to AET over the next five years, as it does with Lale’enok under SORALO. Finally, under the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) grant (see below), ACC is provided funds to help build up the capacity of AET. In doing so it will draw heavily on the skills of KWS and other NGOs.

Land use planning in Kajiado County

The governor of Kajiado County, David Nkedianye, who holds a PhD in conservation biology, called on ACP and ACC to co-host a workshop on land planning for the county. The governor is fully aware of the pressures of subdivision and land buying companies poised to snap up pastoral lands for speculative resale to small holders. We held the meeting in October for a spectrum of leaders across the county to look at the risks of subdivision and promote land use planning.

The upshot was that Maasai leaders convened a meeting in Mombasa early November to consider the risks of subdivision. They came out strongly opposed to sub-division ranches until the alternatives have been fully weighed and land use plans drawn up. Kimana Group Ranch adjacent to Amboseli was cited as the prima fascia case against subdivision. Since the subdivision the ranch has been largely fenced and sold to land speculators, leaving the Maasai with no grazing or future on the land.

Following the leaders caution, the Mbirikani group ranch committee has called on ACC to help convene a land use planning workshop in January. The plans will draw on GEF and other funds to implement the program. Ololorashi Ogului is expected to follow a similar process shortly.

By Victor N. Mose

ACP, ACC, and NAU launched a NASA-funded One Health survey using GEDI and local monitoring for ecosystem health.

By David Western, Victor N. Mose, David Maitumo, Immaculate Ombongi, Sakimba Kimiti, Winfridah Kemunto, Samuel Lekanaiya, Paul Kasaine and Sunte Kimiti

The heavy prolonged El Niño rains boosted pastures across the Amboseli ecosystem

By David Western, Immaculate Ombongi and Victor N. Mose

Our study traces the transition from traditional livestock practices based on seasonal migrations to permanent

Gazettement of the Amboseli Ecosystem Management Plan

Authored by : David Western
Posted on January 15, 2015

Following the year-long moratorium on developments NEMA (National Environmental Authority) issued pending a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Amboseli Ecosystem Management Plan (AEMP), Amboseli Ecosystem Trust (AET) raised the $100,000 from the NGOs and KWS to conduct the review. LCAOF has been kept abreast of progress in previous reports. Following a very professional and participatory process, the Strategic Environmental Assessment was approved by the steering committee in November.

NEMA subsequently issued a letter of authorization granting AET authorization over the plan. The gazette binds all government agencies, land owners and developers to the provisions of AEMP. The plan zones the Amboseli ecosystem according to best land uses and tourism intensity zones. It also calls for a clear demarcation of wildlife dispersal areas and corridors. The SEA of an ecosystem management plan is the first of its kind for Kenya and possibly Africa. It is a landmark in granting the landowner association the responsibility for implementation oversight and integrated natural resource management of the ecosystem.

It also calls for livestock and water plans to be drawn up in the coming year. There has been enormous interest in the SEA process from other landowner association, NGOs and most recently the US Ambassador. He paid a visit to Amboseli in October to review the plans and discuss US funding for similar initiatives.The gazetted land use plan comes at a time when a new grant from the Global Environmental Facility, administered through KWS, will inject four years of funding into biodiversity conservation and habitat restoration of the Amboseli ecosystem.

ACC will also help set up the Nongotiak Resource Centre under contract to AET over the next five years, as it does with Lale’enok under SORALO. Finally, under the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) grant (see below), ACC is provided funds to help build up the capacity of AET. In doing so it will draw heavily on the skills of KWS and other NGOs.

Land use planning in Kajiado County

The governor of Kajiado County, David Nkedianye, who holds a PhD in conservation biology, called on ACP and ACC to co-host a workshop on land planning for the county. The governor is fully aware of the pressures of subdivision and land buying companies poised to snap up pastoral lands for speculative resale to small holders. We held the meeting in October for a spectrum of leaders across the county to look at the risks of subdivision and promote land use planning.

The upshot was that Maasai leaders convened a meeting in Mombasa early November to consider the risks of subdivision. They came out strongly opposed to sub-division ranches until the alternatives have been fully weighed and land use plans drawn up. Kimana Group Ranch adjacent to Amboseli was cited as the prima fascia case against subdivision. Since the subdivision the ranch has been largely fenced and sold to land speculators, leaving the Maasai with no grazing or future on the land.

Following the leaders caution, the Mbirikani group ranch committee has called on ACC to help convene a land use planning workshop in January. The plans will draw on GEF and other funds to implement the program. Ololorashi Ogului is expected to follow a similar process shortly.

By David Western

Following the year-long moratorium on developments NEMA (National Environmental Authority) issued pending a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Amboseli Ecosystem Management Plan (AEMP), Amboseli Ecosystem Trust (AET) raised the $100,000 from the NGOs and KWS to conduct the review. LCAOF has been kept abreast of progress in previous reports. Following a very professional and participatory process, the Strategic Environmental Assessment was approved by the steering committee in November.

NEMA subsequently issued a letter of authorization granting AET authorization over the plan. The gazette binds all government agencies, land owners and developers to the provisions of AEMP. The plan zones the Amboseli ecosystem according to best land uses and tourism intensity zones. It also calls for a clear demarcation of wildlife dispersal areas and corridors. The SEA of an ecosystem management plan is the first of its kind for Kenya and possibly Africa. It is a landmark in granting the landowner association the responsibility for implementation oversight and integrated natural resource management of the ecosystem.

It also calls for livestock and water plans to be drawn up in the coming year. There has been enormous interest in the SEA process from other landowner association, NGOs and most recently the US Ambassador. He paid a visit to Amboseli in October to review the plans and discuss US funding for similar initiatives.The gazetted land use plan comes at a time when a new grant from the Global Environmental Facility, administered through KWS, will inject four years of funding into biodiversity conservation and habitat restoration of the Amboseli ecosystem.

ACC will also help set up the Nongotiak Resource Centre under contract to AET over the next five years, as it does with Lale’enok under SORALO. Finally, under the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) grant (see below), ACC is provided funds to help build up the capacity of AET. In doing so it will draw heavily on the skills of KWS and other NGOs.

Land use planning in Kajiado County

The governor of Kajiado County, David Nkedianye, who holds a PhD in conservation biology, called on ACP and ACC to co-host a workshop on land planning for the county. The governor is fully aware of the pressures of subdivision and land buying companies poised to snap up pastoral lands for speculative resale to small holders. We held the meeting in October for a spectrum of leaders across the county to look at the risks of subdivision and promote land use planning.

The upshot was that Maasai leaders convened a meeting in Mombasa early November to consider the risks of subdivision. They came out strongly opposed to sub-division ranches until the alternatives have been fully weighed and land use plans drawn up. Kimana Group Ranch adjacent to Amboseli was cited as the prima fascia case against subdivision. Since the subdivision the ranch has been largely fenced and sold to land speculators, leaving the Maasai with no grazing or future on the land.

Following the leaders caution, the Mbirikani group ranch committee has called on ACC to help convene a land use planning workshop in January. The plans will draw on GEF and other funds to implement the program. Ololorashi Ogului is expected to follow a similar process shortly.

By Victor N. Mose

ACP, ACC, and NAU launched a NASA-funded One Health survey using GEDI and local monitoring for ecosystem health.

By David Western, Victor N. Mose, David Maitumo, Immaculate Ombongi, Sakimba Kimiti, Winfridah Kemunto, Samuel Lekanaiya, Paul Kasaine and Sunte Kimiti

The heavy prolonged El Niño rains boosted pastures across the Amboseli ecosystem

By David Western, Immaculate Ombongi and Victor N. Mose

Our study traces the transition from traditional livestock practices based on seasonal migrations to permanent

Posted on January 15, 2015

By David Western

Following the year-long moratorium on developments NEMA (National Environmental Authority) issued pending a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Amboseli Ecosystem Management Plan (AEMP), Amboseli Ecosystem Trust (AET) raised the $100,000 from the NGOs and KWS to conduct the review. LCAOF has been kept abreast of progress in previous reports. Following a very professional and participatory process, the Strategic Environmental Assessment was approved by the steering committee in November.

NEMA subsequently issued a letter of authorization granting AET authorization over the plan. The gazette binds all government agencies, land owners and developers to the provisions of AEMP. The plan zones the Amboseli ecosystem according to best land uses and tourism intensity zones. It also calls for a clear demarcation of wildlife dispersal areas and corridors. The SEA of an ecosystem management plan is the first of its kind for Kenya and possibly Africa. It is a landmark in granting the landowner association the responsibility for implementation oversight and integrated natural resource management of the ecosystem.

It also calls for livestock and water plans to be drawn up in the coming year. There has been enormous interest in the SEA process from other landowner association, NGOs and most recently the US Ambassador. He paid a visit to Amboseli in October to review the plans and discuss US funding for similar initiatives.The gazetted land use plan comes at a time when a new grant from the Global Environmental Facility, administered through KWS, will inject four years of funding into biodiversity conservation and habitat restoration of the Amboseli ecosystem.

ACC will also help set up the Nongotiak Resource Centre under contract to AET over the next five years, as it does with Lale’enok under SORALO. Finally, under the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) grant (see below), ACC is provided funds to help build up the capacity of AET. In doing so it will draw heavily on the skills of KWS and other NGOs.

Land use planning in Kajiado County

The governor of Kajiado County, David Nkedianye, who holds a PhD in conservation biology, called on ACP and ACC to co-host a workshop on land planning for the county. The governor is fully aware of the pressures of subdivision and land buying companies poised to snap up pastoral lands for speculative resale to small holders. We held the meeting in October for a spectrum of leaders across the county to look at the risks of subdivision and promote land use planning.

The upshot was that Maasai leaders convened a meeting in Mombasa early November to consider the risks of subdivision. They came out strongly opposed to sub-division ranches until the alternatives have been fully weighed and land use plans drawn up. Kimana Group Ranch adjacent to Amboseli was cited as the prima fascia case against subdivision. Since the subdivision the ranch has been largely fenced and sold to land speculators, leaving the Maasai with no grazing or future on the land.

Following the leaders caution, the Mbirikani group ranch committee has called on ACC to help convene a land use planning workshop in January. The plans will draw on GEF and other funds to implement the program. Ololorashi Ogului is expected to follow a similar process shortly.

Recent Posts

By David Western, Victor N. Mose, David Maitumo, Immaculate Ombongi, Sakimba Kimiti, Winfridah Kemunto, Samuel Lekanaiya, Paul Kasaine and Sunte Kimiti

The outlook for livestock and wildlife in the short dry season normally stretching from January to the long rains

By Victor N. Mose

ACP, ACC, and NAU launched a NASA-funded One Health survey using GEDI and local monitoring for ecosystem health.

By David Western, Victor N. Mose, David Maitumo, Immaculate Ombongi, Sakimba Kimiti, Winfridah Kemunto, Samuel Lekanaiya, Paul Kasaine and Sunte Kimiti

The heavy prolonged El Niño rains boosted pastures across the Amboseli ecosystem

By David Western, Immaculate Ombongi and Victor N. Mose

Our study traces the transition from traditional livestock practices based on seasonal migrations to permanent

By Victor N. Mose, PhD, ACC/ACP, Nairobi, Kenya.

The MOSAIC field mission to the Amazon region, following a previous mission to East Africa

By Victor N. Mose, PhD, ACC/ACP, Nairobi, Kenya.

In a recent community meeting held at the Amboseli Ecosystem Trust offices in southern Kenya.

By Victor N. Mose and David Western

The Amboseli Conservation Program (ACP) has conducted regular aerial sample counts of Amboseli and eastern Kajiado

By Victor N. Mose, David Western and the ACP Team

The Amboseli Conservation Program (ACP) continued to monitor the conditions of the rangelands, livestock and wild

By Victor N. Mose

A notable discussion at the forum focused on disparities in data availability between the Global North and South.

By Victor N. Mose, David Western and the ACP Team

The effects of the good short rains have been felt in the Amboseli area.

Contact Us

Amboseli Conservation Program
P.O Box 15289-00509 or 62844-00200
Nairobi, Kenya.

Tel/Fax: +254 20 891360 / 891751
Email: acc@acc.or.ke