Governing Landscapes through Partnerships: Lessons from Amboseli, Kenya
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Date
2021
Authors
Mugo, Tabitha Njeri
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wageningen University
Abstract
This study focuses on the Kenyan Amboseli landscape, which comprises the Amboseli
National Park and six neighbouring Maasai community Group Ranches, namely
Mbirikani, Kuku, Kimana, Eselengei, Ologulului-Ololorashi Ologulului, and Rombo.
Over the past five decades, Amboseli has been facing persistent conservation and
development challenges. These include changing land tenure and land-use; humanwildlife
conflicts (HWCs); poaching of wildlife; unplanned and uncoordinated
development; loss and fragmentation of wildlife habitats; inadequate and unequal
benefits for local communities; high levels of poverty; and a conservation-development
nexus policy void. To mitigate these challenges, various policy interventions, mostly in
the form of varied partnership arrangements between actors drawn from communities,
governments, market, and conservation organizations, have been initiated – with mixed
outcomes.
This thesis specifically explores two landscape-wide partnerships, the Amboseli
Ecosystem Trust (AET) and the Big Life Foundation (BLF). The Amboseli Ecosystem
Trust is a landscape-based partnership that seeks to bring together governmental
agencies, communities, private investors, and civil society with the aim of
simultaneously achieving conservation and development goals. The Big Life
Foundation (BLF), a partner and member of the AET’s Board of Trustees and the
successor of the Maasailand Preservation Trust (MPT), is a partnership between the
Mbirikani Group Ranch community members and a tourism investor-based
conservation NGO. BLF’s projects cover a large part of the Amboseli landscape in
Kenya and adjacent areas in northern Tanzania....
Description
Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of doctor at Wageningen University by the authority of the Rector Magnificus Prof. Dr A.P.J. Mol, in the presence of the Thesis Committee appointed by the Academic Board
Keywords
Partnership, Amboseli, Landscape governance
Citation
https://doi.org/10.18174/541492