GAZETTE NOTICE NO. 14813

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 Shimba Hills Ecosystem Management Plan 2023-2033 (hereinafter referred to as “the Plan”) defines the goals, objectives, and actions that stakeholders aim to achieve in the Shimba Hills Ecosystem (hereinafter referred to as “the Ecosystem”) in the next 10 years. The Ecosystem comprises Shimba Hills National Reserve/Shimba Hills Forest Reserve, Mkongani North Forest Reserve, Mkongani West Forest Reserve, Mwaluganje Forest Reserve and Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary. The Plan is formulated in accordance with the existing legal and regulatory frameworks that include the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2013, the National Forest Policy 2015, Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016, the Sessional Paper No 01 of 2020 on Wildlife Policy and the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act, 2015. The Plan is a living document that will undergo to periodic reviews to adapt to emerging issues and new insights. It addresses forest and wildlife conservation, tourism development, research and education, community development and administration issues in the Ecosystem through the following key management interventions– (a) implementing the zoning scheme as outlined in the Plan; and (b) implementing the management actions described under the seven management programmes. The zoning scheme and management programmes are summarised in the following section: 1. LAND USES AND ZONES The primary land uses in Shimba Hills Ecosystem are biodiversity conservation and tourism. To achieve the Ecosystem’s management objectives, a land use zoning plan consisting of six zones has been developed. The land use zones are: Tourism Use Zone, Biodiversity Conservation Zone (indigenous forest), Plantation Zone, Cultural Use Zone, Intervention Zone and Subsistence Use Zone. 2. MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMES The Plan consists of seven management programmes designed to address the major management issues in the Ecosystem. These programmes are summarised in the following sections. 2.1 Forest Conservation and Management Programme The overall goal of the Forest Conservation and Management Programme is to conserve and protect the SHE natural forest and its rich biodiversity for sustainable supply of ecosystem goods and services. This will be accomplished by implementing management objectives that prioritize sustainable management and utilization of forest resources while safeguarding all forest areas and reverting 910.7ha of exotic plantation areas to natural forest. 2.2 Wildlife Conservation and Management Programme The primary purpose of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Programme is to ensure that the ecological components and processes of the Shimba Hills Ecosystem are understood, restored and conserved, and threats to the area’s key ecological features are reduced. To realize this objective, the SHE stakeholders will strive to ensure that ecosystem connectivity is maintained, SHE habitats are rehabilitated and restored, viable populations of threatened and endangered wildlife species are maintained, understanding of ecological components and processes is improved and human-wildlife coexistence is promoted and conflicts minimized. 2.3 Tourism Development and Management Programme The Tourism Development and Management Programme aims to ensure that Shimba Hills Ecosystem offers memorable tourist experiences based on the unique biodiversity, scenic and cultural values in the area. The programme seeks to ensure that product development and diversification align with modern and evolving customer demands, investment regulations and control conform with the overall ecosystem plan and national standards, infrastructure developments promote tourism beyond the national reserve and marketing of tourism products is promoted at the ecosystem level. 2.4 Water Resources Conservation and Management Programme The purpose of the Water Resources Conservation and Management Programme is to ensure that water resources in the SHE are conserved and sustainably managed to meet domestic, agricultural and commercial needs of Kwale County and its environs. To achieve this, SHE stakeholders will strive to ensure that water catchment areas are restored, conserved and sustainably managed and water abstraction from rivers is regulated and controlled. The key management objectives to be implemented focus on: enhancing sustainable water management and restoring natural flow regimes, and controlling and regulating water resource use. 2.5 Community Participation and Development Programme The main purpose of the Community Participation and Development Programme is to enhance community participation in conservation management and sustainable use of natural resources and livelihoods improvement. The programme also aims at ensuring that communities are actively participating in conservation and management of natural resources in SHE, increased community awareness of the value of SHE’s natural resources, negative human- wildlife interactions are minimized, communities are receiving tangible benefits from conservation of natural resources, there is enhanced agroforestry practices and restoration of degraded farmlands, and communities adopt efficient and sustainable energy practices. 2.6 Shimba Hills Ecosystem Operations and Security Programme The aim of the Shimba Hills Ecosystem Operations and Security Programme is to ensure that SHE’s operational systems and structures effectively and efficiently support the implementation and achievement of all SHE management programmes’ objectives. To fulfil this purpose, Shimba Hills Ecosystem stakeholders will endeavour to ensure that institutional collaboration is formalised and strengthened through MOUs, capacity, performance and motivation of SHE staff is improved, SHE natural resources and visitors are safeguarded and infrastructure to support SHE management is improved. 2.7 Research and Education Management Programme The Research and Education Management Programme aims at conducting conservation related research that will generate knowledge on the ecosystem, support education, conservation actions and management interventions. The programme also aims at ensuring that critical habitats and their elements are well documented, conserved and restored, threatened, endangered and endemic species are conserved, managed, and monitored based on sound scientific knowledge, ecological elements and processes to support adaptive management are understood and effects of climate change on ecosystem and species dynamics are understood. 3. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND EVALUATION The plan’s implementation, monitoring and evaluation will be undertaken by the Ecosystem’s stakeholders through a Plan Implementation Committee comprising of representatives from Shimba Hills Conservation Forest Association, Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary, Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Forest Service, County Government of Kwale, National Environment Management Authority, Water Resource Users Associations, National Government Administration Officers and coopted members from key stakeholder institutions. 15th November, 2024 THE KENYA GAZETTE The plan is deposited at the offices of the Director General, Kenya Wildlife Service along Langata Road and the Chief Conservator of Forests, Kenya Forest Service whose addresses are provided below: The Director General, Kenya Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 40241–00200, Nairobi. Tel: (254) 020 6000800/6002345 E-mail: kws@kws.go.ke Chief Conservator of Forests, Kenya Forest Service, P.O. Box 30513–00100, Nairobi. Tel: 020-2020285 E-mail: info@kenyaforestservice.org Dated the 15th November, 2024. REBECCA MIANO, Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife.