When Good Conservation Becomes Good Economics: Kenyaâ??s Vanishing Herds
World Bank Group
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Abstract: It is no exaggeration to state that Kenyaâ??s wildlife has done much to shape the image and development fortunes of the country. At independence,the country was reliant on agricultural exports for its foreign exchange revenue and was exposed to the vagaries of commodity price cycles. The vast and varied endowment of wildlife catalyzed a new industryâ??nature-based tourismâ??that provided an opportunity to diversify and boost export revenues while playing to the countryâ??s natural comparative advantage. Today tourism is among Kenyaâ??s top sources of foreign exchange,dominates the service sector,and contributes significantly to employment,especially in rural areas where economic opportunities are limited. The typical international tourist arrives on a package tour that may include a safari,a visit to the beach,or both. It is safari tourism,however,that generates the most employment and economic activity across the country. A recent study by Sanghi et al. (2017) found that despite a diversifying economy,wildlife-based safari tourism is deeply integrated into Kenyaâ??s economic fabric in complex ways that stimulate much employment in rural areas. Official statistics of the sectorâ??s contribution to the economy tend to neglect the full panoply of backward and forward linkages and their dynamic effects on poverty and rural growth. But the wildlife that has lured travelers to Kenya by the planeload is in dramatic decline (Figure ES.1). In the past three decades,the country has lost more than half of its wildlife (ungulate) biomass according to data from the Directorate of Resources,Surveys and Remote Sensing (DRSRS).