A New Precedent
in Land Conservation
J
ohn Keen remembers the way nairobi used to be, 70 years ago. he recalls driving south toward
the tanzania border and seeing wildlife all around. he remembers the wildlife that roamed
through plains that extended from nairobi national park all the way to Amboseli national park.
"everything is here in Kenya--we just need to manage it," he says.
And Kenyan native Keen is doing his part: this past year, he signed the country's first-ever
environmental easement agreement with AWF and Kenya Wildlife service (KWs).
Keen owns land just outside of nairobi national park. through this agreement with AWF and KWs,
Keen and his family retain ownership of their land but voluntarily agree to restrict how they use it--
essentially extending the boundaries of the park by an additional 107 hectares.
referred to as the "green lung" of nairobi, nairobi national park spans 28,963 acres. Like most
parks in Kenya, wildlife often migrate out of the park onto adjoining lands such as Keen's, but
increased human development in recent years has led to more fenced properties and greater human
wildlife conflict. this has required more creative
conservation solutions to ensure wild lands stay
intact for wildlife movement.
"environmental easements have proven highly
effective in other parts of the world, and we
commend the Keen family for their conservation
leadership," says Kathleen Fitzgerald, vice president
for conservation strategy. "this agreement will
protect important natural habitat adjacent to
nairobi national park and provide an example for
other landowners interested in conserving Kenya's
natural heritage."
u
John Keen and his family have
entered into a groundbreaking
environmental easement this
year, willingly restricting the land
they own just outside of Nairobi
National Park.
"This agreement will
provide an example
for other landowners
interested in
conserving Kenya's
natural heritage"
Land
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