Natural Justice

This guide by Natural Justice provides a comprehensive framework for establishing and managing community conservancies in Kenya. It details the legal requirements under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2013 and the Community Land Act 2016, emphasizing the necessity of land registration before conservancy establishment to ensure tenure security. The document covers governance models, the development of management and business plans, strategies for equitable benefit-sharing, and the integration of traditional indigenous knowledge to combat climate change and biodiversity loss.

• The guide strongly advises that communities should only establish conservancies after the formal registration of community lands to ensure tenure security, provide evidence of ownership, and prevent conflicts over land ownership.
• Community conservancies are intended to shift wildlife conservation from a centralized, government-centric 'protected areas' approach—which the document describes as resembling an 'apartheid system'—to a devolved, people-centric model where citizens are active participants.
• Effective governance of community conservancies should be based on eight principles: legitimacy, transparency, accountability, inclusiveness, fairness, integration, capability, and adaptability.
• The document identifies a conflict in two-tier governance structures where a conservancy board (often influenced by external organizations) and the Community Land Management Committee (CLMC) both manage the conservancy. It recommends that the CLMC oversee the conservancy's affairs to ensure statutory compliance.
• A Management Plan (MP) is a legal requirement under section 44 of the Wildlife Conservation & Management Act (2013) for any conservancy seeking licensing and registration with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
• To protect community interests when contracting with private tourism investors, the guide warns against 'exclusivity clauses' that transfer all tourism activities to the investor and recommends that fee reviews occur every two years rather than every five.
• The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) is the lead national agency for the registration of conservancies and provides benefits such as tax waivers on imported capital supplies, land rates waivers, and the training of Community Wildlife Scouts.
• Traditional knowledge, such as the 'Dedha System' used by the Borana of Isiolo County to conserve grazing fields, is essential for addressing climate change and biodiversity loss.
• Bio-cultural Community Protocols (BCPs) are recommended as instruments to set clear terms for external parties accessing local resources and knowledge, ensuring the process is grounded in customary norms and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC).

APA

Natural Justice (n.d.). Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Natural-Justice-3-1.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. Natural Justice. n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Natural-Justice-3-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=Natural Justice |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Natural-Justice-3-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljusticendnatural, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{Natural Justice}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Natural-Justice-3-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }