| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of emerging land use patterns on
wildlife conservation in Kajiado County in Kitengela sub-County. To achieve this the study
focused on the following objectives; to identify the influence of human settlement activities
on the wildlife conservation, to establish the influence of agricultural activities on the
conservation of wildlife, to determine the influence of industrial activities on the conservation
of wildlife and To establish influence of the recreational activities on the conservation of
wildlife. The study adopted descriptive survey design; the target population of this study was
the house hold community living along the Kitengela migratory Corridor, within Kajiado
County and other stakeholders who include NGO, a civil society, KWS and Private rancher.
The study used a sample size of 99 respondents where random sampling and purposive
sampling techniques were used to come up with the sample size. The research administered
questionnaires to the household heads and face to face interview to the selected stakeholders.
The data collected was sorted to remove the incompletely filled questionnaires; the sorted
data was analysed statistically using SPPS version 20 for the determination of the influence
of emerging land use patterns on wildlife conservation in Kajiado County, The summary of
the findings reveals that the wildlife population in Kajiado declined due to poaching and that
the frequency, variety and severity of human-elephant conflicts have increased in space and
time, moreover the study revealed that ecological nature of parks and the mobility of wildlife
ensure damages and are not likely to decline but intensify as human population expand in
savannah areas and that the concern is whether cultural carrying capacity has been attained,
as this is the maximum number of animals that can coexist compatibly with the local human
population. The study further revealed that human populations increase soil erosion, reduce
plant bio-diversity and lead to environmental pollution interfering with the wildlife, further
the study revealed that the migration of people from agrarian societies to the corridor area has
contributed to the growth of agricultural activities which influence negatively on wildlife
conservation. The study therefore concludes that wildlife population in Kenya declined due to
poaching and that the frequency, variety and severity of human-elephant conflicts have
increased in space and time. The study also concludes that ecological nature of parks and the
mobility of wildlife ensure damages and are not likely to decline but intensify as human
population expand in savannah areas. The study also concludes that some lands are
overstocked with more than fifty percent beyond the recommended densities; the persistence
of constant reduction in the wildlife populations has been interpreted in terms of the
exploitation of environmental heterogeneity at different spatial scales which has greatly
influenced the conservation of wildlife. The study recommends that, the government through
the key stakeholders should take measures to spearhead evacuation of human settlements
within or adjacent to the wildlife habitats, that the rare and most vulnerable species of the
wildlife should be protected from becoming extinct; this will be achieved through intensive
preservation of the wildlife habitation, that the KWS officers should take immediate
measures to reduce the poaching of wildlife; this can be achieved through sensitising the
wardens on effective measures of conservation of wildlife, that appropriate measures should
be taken to control the release of industrial wastes into wildlife habitations since this would
lead to diverse damage on the vegetation and the release of toxic substance which are
dangerous to the wildlife. The study suggests that a similar study be conducted on the critical
variables on human activities and wildlife conservation conflict. The socio- economic factors
that influence wildlife habitat conservation in Kenya and the role of KWS in the wildlife
conservation and habitat. | en_US |
