Date Published:
KWS hosted a National Stakeholders Validation workshop on The Single Species Action Plan (2024–2033) for the Conservation of the Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) in Kenya, at the Wildlife Research & Training Institute (WRTI) in Naivasha.
This workshop is critical in defining & refining strategies aimed at safeguarding the iconic grey crowned-crane and their habitats. The discussions underscored the power of partnerships for unified effort to protect Kenya's rich biodiversity.
Addressing the stakeholders, KWS Deputy Director in charge of Conservation Science, Lekishon Kenana, highlighted the pivotal role played by KWS in leading & coordinating all partners to drive Kenya's conservation agenda. He emphasized the importance of fostering further collaboration for the development and successful implementation of Conservation and Recovery Action Plans for the grey crowned-cranes, among other threatened wildlife species in the country.
The proposed action plan is the fifth single species action plan specifically for birds. Other plans focus on flamingos, Spotted ground thrush, Taita thrush and Taita apalis species.
In keeping with KWS’s model of collaborative conservation, partnerships involved in the validation workshop included: The National Museums of Kenya (NMK), National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), county governments hosting populations of grey crowned cranes, International Crane Foundation (ICF)/Endangered Wildlife Trust/Community Action Network for Conservation Partnership (CANCO), Nature Kenya, Laikipia Wildlife Forum, Wildlife Research & Training Institute (WRTI), Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), East African Wildlife Society (EAWLS), Kenyatta University, Eco-Crane Foundation, Cranes conservation Volunteers, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) East Africa Regional Office, Wildlife Clubs of Kenya (WCK), community groups - including Friends of Kinangop Plateau, among a number of others.
Dr. Patrick Omondi, a seasoned researcher and the WRTI Director, lamented the drastic decline in crane species, from over 30,000 in 1985, to approximately 10,000 today. According to crane censuses conducted in 2019 and 2023, there is an overlap of human populations and crane species, with distribution patterns being a complete mirror for both species. Uasin Gishu county had the highest population of cranes (2,227) from a total of 95 surveyed sites, while Elgeyo Marakwet County had the lowest population of 200 cranes from 14 surveyed sites.
Participants pointed out a problem tree of threats contributing to the grey crowned cranes’ downward trends: Illegal poaching and hunting of eggs and chicks for consumption, sale and/or display, human-wildlife conflict such as retaliatory poisoning by communities, pelting – leading to mortalities/injuries, electrification in rural areas – which leads to deaths by electrocution and uncontrolled wetlands burning, among other causes.
Reference and guiding policies, legal and institutional frameworks applied in the formulation of the action plan include: The Constitution of Kenya 2010; The Wildlife Conservation and Management Act of 2013 (WCMA, CAP 376); Environmental Management and Coordination Act of 1999 (EMCA, CAP 387).
International Conventions and treaties include: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species; Agreement of the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Water birds (AEWA) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The formulation of the action plan has been a conservation labour of love. On the 5th of June, 2020, the Kenya Cranes Working Group was constituted, after which follow-up working group consultative meetings were held in March, October and November 2021, with several reviews of the draft by primary reviewers and regional consultative validation workshops. The draft action plan is awaiting approval by the KWS Management, Board of Trustees and the parent Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, and, should it pass muster, it will be officially launched and implemented.
