Independent Study Details the Human Rights Risks and Impacts on Communities in Kenya from the Establishment and Operations of Conservancies
Nairobi, Kenya — As conservancies form a crucial part of Kenya’s conservation narrative, they have increasingly come under criticism on their human rights performance. A new independent report from the Institute for Research and Policy Alternatives — A Human Rights Observations & Risk Assessment of Community Conservancies in Kenya — details the human rights effects and impacts from the establishment and operations of conservancies on communities.
A nine-month long study of ten randomly selected community conservancies across the country examines the risks to the protection, advancement and safeguarding of human rights in the context of community conservancies. The study focused on determining the presence of increasing broadscale awareness on human rights issues and risks; developing concrete and accessible mechanisms in place for communities to identify, address and track any adverse human rights effects, as they arise; and on the establishment of structures that communities can use to advance self-determination.
The study’s findings spotlight potential adverse effects of conservancy operations and establishment with the aim of accentuating priority intervention areas, without underestimating the actual and potential positive impacts on Kenya’s people, wildlife and environment. The study identified five cross-cutting thematic areas that call for immediate intervention to mitigate the presence of risks of human rights violations and existing human rights impacts:
- Security of land tenure and the right of communities to use, develop and control their territories and resources;
- Women’s equality and freedom from non-discrimination;
- Insecurity, including the right to life, human-wildlife conflict, human-human conflict, and other threats to security of person and property;
- Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) decision-making and participation rights; and
- Benefits accrued from the conservancy.
The data collected by IRPA’s field team through at least 90 key informant interviews and 85 focus group discussions, as well as through direct observations and review of documentation, suggests the presence of risks of human rights violations – if not always a clear violation – in community conservancies. The impact of these risks and violations on the community conservancy model requires further investigation and, ultimately, if community conservancies are to have a lasting role in the country’s wildlife conservation goals, all those involved in the planning, establishment, and day-to-day operations of conservancies must increasingly be more aware of and respectful of the human rights of IPLCs.
The study was an independent study conducted by the Nairobi-based consulting firm, Institute for Research and Policy Alternatives (IRPA), commissioned by The Nature Conservancy. The study’s methodology, findings, analysis, conclusions and recommendations are the sole responsibility of IRPA and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Nature Conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association, or any other third party.
Please see below the executive summaries and full reports in English and Kiswahili:
Executive Summary (English Version)