Kenya mulls human-wildlife conflict insurance scheme
PAYMENT: Kenya has announced plans to launch compensation insurance scheme to help victims of the human-wildlife conflict.
Najib Balala, cabinet secretary for Tourism and Wildlife said the government will compensate all approved cases of victims of human-wildlife conflict.
“We have set up a task force on human wildlife conflict compensation scheme so as to put in place the necessary resources and structures to govern the scheme,” he said during the launch of the human-wildlife conflict compensation reports (2014-2017) in Nairobi.
Balala (pictured) said the scheme will be established in line with the wildlife conservation and management Act of 2013.
The CS said through an elaborate public participation framework, the government plans to fast-track development and gazettement of regulations and guidelines to govern the compensation process.
“We require a multi-pronged approach in managing human wildlife conflicts to help solve the problem that has continued to escalate,” he added.
He said the government encourages strategies that help maintain the support of the communities, whose collaboration are needed for wildlife outside of formal protected areas.
He observed that a tangible challenge to conservation in Kenya is how to enhance and sustain coexistence between people and wildlife since certain conflict occurs outside protected areas. –Xinhua
