The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy occupies a relatively small 62,000 acres in northern Kenya but its role as a conservation innovator extends far beyond its borders.
The Conservancy and surrounding areas contain some of the last pristine biodiverse wilderness in Kenya, most of which is in community-owned land. Therein lies the conservation challenge, as well as Lewa’s success through combining wildlife protection, community development, and sustainable tourism.
I began leading safaris to Lewa a few years ago and, because of its uniqueness to other parks, I have since made it a must visit destination on all of my Kenya itineraries.
On my last visit I sat down with Lewa’s co-founder, Ian Craig, whose story is one of twenty in my book, Wild Lives. Here are some highlights from my interview.
“Lewa was envisioned to act as an anchor that demonstrates and facilitates community-centric-conservation,” says Ian. For example, Lewa released black rhino into the nearby Sera Community. Although native to that area, the black rhino had not been seen there in over 30 years. Sera made history as the first community in Kenya to be responsible for managing a viable black rhino population. “This model of conservation offers a viable way of life for communities that share their land with wildlife by empowering them through community programs,” says Ian.
Expanding on the Lewa model, Ian started the Northern Rangelands Trust. It promotes the collective management of ecosystems for improved human livelihoods, biodiversity conservation, and enhanced rangeland management to over 2 million hectares.
This is all great news for the area’s wildlife, which includes the endangered black and white rhino, reticulated giraffe, hirola, Grevy’s zebra and the shy sitatunga antelope. They are not only protected in these rangelands, but can migrate with less conflict.
The elephant underpass is another example of Lewa/NRT’s innovative projects. A one of a kind in Kenya, the underpass links the forest ecosystem of Mount Kenya with the savannah ecosystems of Lewa and Samburu. Previously this historic migration route was blocked by human development. Now elephants and other wildlife use the underpass to cross the busy highway that stretches from Meru to Nanyuki.
Ian Craig was born in Kenya. To learn more about how Ian is shaping Kenya, and how Kenya shaped Ian, check out his adventure-filled life story in Wild Lives, Leading Conservationists on the Animals and the Planet They Love.
To join me on safari and experience Lewa first hand, send me an email to lorisavingwild.com.