Some economic problems of wildlife: utilisations in Kajiado District

Wildlife, as a renewable natural resource, has considerable economic value in present day Kenya. It is a key factor in the tourism industry (worth shs.520.5 million in 1972), of which the hunting industry may be viewed as an adjunct, but one which earns a lot for the country while making minimal demands on infrastructure. Cropping and live capture have considerable, largely untapped, potential. In 1972 Government set up the 17.2 million shilling UNDP/FAO Wildlife Management Project to explore economic, biological, technical and land planning aspects of wildlife development. Kajiado District now selected as the test area. The Chief Game Waden is Chairman of the Co-ordinating Committee of the Project. Problems of Wildlife utilisation are numerous and complex. This paper is designed to elicit discussion on one of the more challenging in each of the three major activities, tourism, hunting and cropping. The further problem of how these legitimate ranching activities might, at least theoretically, be integrated with livestock is then discussed. Basic areas which would repay the effort of intensive research are suggested in outline at the end of the paper. Because the general subject in currently of immense, but frequently rather sketchy, interest, details on the set-up of the project and progress to date are given in Appendix II.