Enhancing implementation of institutional strengthening plans for regional associations, so that local organisations are equipped to lead local conservation solutions.
To change the future of conservation in Kenya, TNC has partnered with KWCA to design locally led approaches that benefit people and nature. Over the last decade, TNC has been a partner of KWCA, working to build capacity and grow a constituency of Kenyan-owned, community-led conservation and development.
In Kenya, TNC strives to support the country in building resilient communities better equipped to adapt to an increasingly uncertain future. As one of the partners in this effort, KWCA — a Kenyan-owned national umbrella body representing community and private conservancies — works to advance policy change, regulatory frameworks, incentives and capacity for conservancies and landscape associations. The one-year grant by TNC is aimed at enhancing implementation of institutional strengthening plans for regional associations and continuous capacity support to KWCA.
Biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and loss of habitat connectivity are among Kenya's most pressing challenges. These challenges are interlinked and exacerbated by severe and recurrent drought, floods, economic shocks and political influences that affect local communities living in biodiversity hotspots. TNC is working to protect Kenya's natural resources to secure the national heritage, fuel the tourism industry and improve community livelihoods.
During the last eight years, TNC and KWCA partnered to grow a network of community and private conservancies across Kenya's rangelands. With support from USAID under the Community Conservancy Policy Support Program (CCSP), TNC supported the development of KWCA's institutional capacity by growing governance and management capacity, strengthening policy advocacy, and setting up institutional collaborative capacity aimed at creating an environment where conservancies in Kenya thrive.
KWCA's theory of change envisages a future where wildlife conservancies are thriving and under the management of empowered communities. To achieve this, the KWCA strategy revolves around empowering regional associations to support the growth and development of conservancies around 12 landscapes. This project contributes to TNC's Kenya Focal Place (KFP) objective 2, which seeks to strengthen the voice, choice and action of local institutions and conservation alliances to deliver shared conservation solutions.
To strengthen the institutional capacity of local organisations to lead local conservation solutions.
The guidelines that govern KWCA membership: membership categories and the admission criteria for community, private, group and co-managed conservancies; the procedure and timelines for admission; membership benefits; fees; cessation of membership; and the code of conduct and ethics binding every member. Includes the membership registration form (Appendix A) and the affiliate membership form (Appendix B).
This policy brief makes the case for establishing a credible national framework to address the biodiversity impacts of development. It highlights existing legal and policy entry points and outlines the regulatory, institutional and…
In 2025 KWCA made great strides on various issues, our key highlight was the launch of the Kenya Conservancies Fund. We have deepened our focus on supporting conservancies to become effective, resilient, and investment-ready institutions.
The KWCA 2024 Annual Report highlights a year of remarkable progress in influencing conservation policies, improving conservancy governance and management, strategic partnerships, and organisational effectiveness.
