GAZETTE NOTICE NO. 74

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by section 44 (3) of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2013, the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife gazettes the Plan in the Schedule hereto. SCHEDULE The Amboseli Ecosystem Management Plan (hereinafter referred to as “the Plan”) defines the principles and strategies that Amboseli Ecosystem’s stakeholders have designed to address community livelihoods, tourism development and management, natural resource management, and institutions and governance issues in the Amboseli Ecosystem. The Ecosystem includes; Amboseli National Park and seven group ranches in Eastern Kajiado, namely Olgulului/Ololarashi Group Ranch, Mbirikani Group Ranch, Eselengei Group Ranch, Kuku A and Kuku B Group Ranches, Rombo Group Ranch, and the subdivided Kimana Group Ranch. The Plan emphasizes that all activities within the Amboseli Ecosystem shall be implemented in accordance with the Plan and the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2013. The Plan is a dynamic document that shall be subject to periodic reviews, depending on emerging issues and new knowledge. The success of the Plan hinges on stakeholders’ commitment to follow through with plan implementation. Hence, a Plan Implementation Committee will be established to coordinate and advise on Plan implementation. This committee will be an advisory body, functioning as a subcommittee of the Amboseli Ecosystem Trust and therefore will not override or substitute for management agencies, nor have responsibility for carrying out specific actions described in this Plan. The Committee will meet regularly and communicate with Plan implementers and other relevant stakeholders with enough frequency to ensure that the Plan remains a living document. The Plan Implementation Committee will comprise of representatives from Kenya Wildlife Service, Amboseli Ecosystem Trust and other government and nongovernmental agencies co-opted by these two organizations. The Plan Implementation Committee will— (a) co-ordinate the implementation of the Plan; (b) mobilize resources for Plan implementation; (c) monitor and evaluate the progress of activities; (d) identify constraints in plan implementation; (e) produce annual progress reports on plan implementation; (f) recommend review of the management plan; and (g) oversee the implementation of the plan The Plan addresses threats to Amboseli Ecosystem through the following broad management intervention measures— (a) implementing the Zoning scheme outlined in the Plan; and (b) implementing management actions under the four management programmes. The Plan’s zoning scheme and management programmes are outlined in the following sections: 1. Zoning Scheme Amboseli Ecosystem has been divided into five land use zones (Pastoralism Development Zone, Conservation and Tourism Development Zone, Cultivation Zone, Settlement Zone, and Physical Infrastructure Zone). In regard to visitor use, the ecosystem has been divided into three zones (High Use Zone, Exclusive Use Zone and Low Use Zone) each of which provides unique visitor products and is best suited to a particular type of tourism and level of use. The zoning scheme has prescriptions which define what should occur or not occur in each zone. 2. Management Programmes The Plan has four management programmes (Community Livelihoods and Socio-economic Programme, Tourism Development and Management Programme, Natural Resource Management Programme, Institutions and Governance Programme). Each management programme contains a programme purpose, guiding principles underpinning the programme, management objectives that set out the future desired state that the Plan implementers aim to achieve, and a set of specific management actions to achieve these objectives. 2.1 Community Livelihoods and Socio-economic Programme The purpose of the Community Livelihoods and Socio-economic Programme is to win space for livestock, and improve livestock and agricultural productivity to realize the socio-economic aspirations of the Amboseli community within a sustainable framework. To achieve this, Amboseli Ecosystem stakeholders will strive to improve livestock production through pastoralism, promote sustainable agriculture, improve the living standard of the local community through enterprises, natural resource use, and planned settlements; conserve and restore water catchments and wetlands; and control and monitor water usage. 2.2 Tourism Development and Management Programme The Tourism Development and Management Programme sets out objectives and actions that Amboseli Ecosystem stakeholders will implement to make the ecosystem an outstanding responsible tourist destination offering a variety of premium visitor experiences while supporting conservation and communities. To achieve this, stakeholders will strive to ensure that tourism developments are coordinated to ensure proper standards, distribution and sustainability, local communities are adequately engaged to ensure they gain optimum benefits from tourism, tourism products are diversified to give visitors greater experience and variety, and tourism marketing is devolved and modernized to attract high end local and international tourists to different attractions within the ecosystem. 2.3 Natural Resource Management Programme The purpose of the Natural Resource Management Programme is to sustainably manage natural resources in the Amboseli Ecosystem to maintain ecological processes that continue providing ecosystem services to the local community. To achieve this purpose, Amboseli Ecosystem stakeholders will strive to ensure that: ecological connectivity is maintained; degraded habitats are rehabilitated and restored; viable populations of threatened wildlife species are maintained; natural resources protection is enhanced; community developed plans to regulate access to natural resources are supported and promoted; and human-wildlife coexistence is promoted and conflicts proactively minimized. 2.4 Institutions and Governance Programme The purpose of the Institutions and Governance Programme is to strengthen the institutions, governance and collaboration mechanisms 8th January, 2021 THE KENYA GAZETTE to enhance natural resource management and promote equitable sharing of benefits accruing from communally managed land. To achieve this, Amboseli stakeholders will strive to ensure that: the existing institutions and their operations are strengthened and new institutions are created to ensure sound management and use of natural resources; conservancies and other areas set aside for conservation are generating significant tourism revenues to land owners; support for the delivery of this management plan from the key institutional partners and other stakeholders is enlisted; and a community resource and cultural centre is developed. The Plan including the background information on the plan is deposited at the offices of Executive Director, Amboseli Ecosystem Trust and Director General, Kenya Wildlife Service whose addresses are provided below: Executive Director, Amboseli Ecosystem Trust, P.O Box 346-00209, Loitokitok, Kenya Tel: (254) 746 139004, E-mail: info@amboseliecosystem.org The Director-General, Kenya Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 40241–00200, Nairobi, Kenya Tel: (254) 020 6000800/6002345, E-mail: kws@kws.go.ke Dated 23rd December, 2020. NAJIB BALALA, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife.