A conservancy is a community or privately-managed area where people choose to conserve and manage wildlife sustainably. Over the past 30 years, conservancies have become critical to Kenya’s wildlife conservation and national socio-economic development.
Yes. The Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, 2013 defines a conservancy as “an area of land set aside by an individual land owner, body corporate, group of owners, or a community for wildlife conservation purposes.”
In practice, a conservancy is a land area of ecological value managed by an individual, group of landowners or a community to achieve long-term wildlife conservation alongside compatible land uses — a tool for self-governance, better land management, habitat connectivity, cultural preservation and livelihood diversification.
Kenya’s conservancies are shaped by different forms of land ownership, but all share one goal: to protect wildlife, restore ecosystems and improve wellbeing.
The journey from inception to maturity is progressive but not linear — shaped by land tenure, community cohesion, governance and the support received. A conservancy can become dormant at any stage.
According to the 2024 State of Conservancies Report, 245 conservancies safeguard 10.6 million hectares — around 15% of Kenya’s landmass. About 65% of Kenya’s wildlife lives outside national parks, more than 1.3 million people benefit from nature-based enterprises in conservancies, and over 4,200 rangers protect wildlife and communities across these landscapes. A further 90 new conservancies have been proposed.
Conservancies have sustained biodiversity and wildlife corridors, strengthened local economies, reduced conflict and created thousands of jobs — safeguarding species such as elephants, lions, giraffes and Grévy’s zebras. With more than 90 new conservancies proposed, the network could soon cover nearly a quarter of Kenya’s land, unlocking eco-tourism, carbon markets, regenerative grazing and restoration economies, and helping Kenya reach the global 30x30 target.
KWCA’s members and primary beneficiaries are the private and community conservancies that make up our membership. Joining connects your conservancy to a national movement — with a stronger voice, shared knowledge and access to technical and financial support.
Membership delivers practical value to conservancies at every stage of growth:
Submit a duly signed registration form together with:
Applications are recommended to the National Conservancies Council for admission, and new members are ratified at the annual meeting.
There is a one-off registration fee of KES 5,000, which is non-refundable, and an annual membership fee of KES 10,000.
Fees can be paid by bank transfer to Equity Bank Limited, account 1250260931076, or by M-Pesa using Paybill 247 247 with account number 1250260931076.
Five commitments shape everything we do for our members:
The Kenya Conservancies Fund (KCF) is a small grants facility that supports conservancies to strengthen biodiversity conservation and venture into nature-based enterprises for their long-term sustainability. It supports new, nascent and underserved conservancies — including landscape associations — that have limited access to traditional funding, providing catalytic support in their foundational stages, from consensus building and legal registration to operational and capital expenditure and building governance capacity.
Managed by KWCA, KCF is a sinking fund transitioning to a revolving fund that will offer market-rate loans as conservancies become investment-ready.
Grants support activities that strengthen conservancies and deliver clear conservation and community benefits:
The Fund supports conservancies in Kenya at different stages of development — nascent, emerging and early-mature — that meet the following criteria:
KCF provides catalytic support of between $5,000 and $120,000, with the exact size determined by the scale of the funding gap. The funding period is up to 2 years — conservancies implement their proposed activities within this timeframe and report on progress as outlined in the grant agreement.
Applications are only accepted after a Call for Ideas has been announced on our website and social media. The process has four stages:
Questions about an application go to the fund manager at grants@kwcakenya.com; complaints and grievances go to complaints@kwcakenya.com.
Only one grant application per conservancy is considered per funding cycle, so conservancies are encouraged to prioritise their most critical needs. Co-funding is encouraged but not mandatory — applicants who demonstrate additional financial or in-kind support may be prioritised.
Landscape associations are a vital link between KWCA and the conservancies on the ground — coordinating conservancies for joint planning, a stronger local voice and county engagement across Kenya’s 12 conservation landscapes. Each association convenes and supports conservancies within its region, linking them to KWCA at the national level.
There are twelve landscape associations:
Landscape associations are how conservancies coordinate regionally and engage their counties, and membership matters practically: to be eligible for a Kenya Conservancies Fund grant, a conservancy must be a registered member of KWCA and a recognised member of a landscape association.
Yes. Open and recently closed roles, consultancy assignments and tenders — at KWCA and across the conservancy network — are listed on our careers and opportunities page.
The KWCA secretariat is based in Karen, Nairobi, on Seminary Road, off Magadi Road. Our postal address is Magadi Tenting Centre, Karen, P.O. Box 1038 – 00517, Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi, Kenya.
For general enquiries, email info@kwcakenya.com or call +254 (20) 251-8211 or +254 708 418 522.
You can also send your enquiry straight from the form on our contact page.
Media and press enquiries reach the secretariat the same way as general enquiries — email info@kwcakenya.com or use the form on our contact page. Please flag the enquiry as press and include your deadline so it can be routed to the right person quickly.
Complaints and grievances should be sent to complaints@kwcakenya.com. This is a dedicated address, separate from general enquiries, and it is also the route for complaints relating to a Kenya Conservancies Fund application or grant.
All 53 of our publications — reports, strategies, guides, manuals and factsheets — are in the publications library, filterable by publication type, year and programme.
The State of Conservancies Report is KWCA’s flagship assessment of the conservancy network. The 2024 edition provides the clearest picture yet of the network’s scale, achievements and promise — from a national network taking root, to conservation anchored in communities, to the economic and ecological impact of conservancies and the challenges that remain.
Three interactive maps cover the network: the National Map of Conservancies (the full interactive map of conservancies across Kenya), the Landscape Associations Map (conservancies organised by the 12 landscape associations), and a web map segregated by conservancy type.
From the 2024 State of Conservancies Report: 245 conservancies safeguarding 10.6 million hectares; 15% of Kenya’s landmass under conservation; 65% of wildlife living outside national parks; 1.3 million people benefiting from nature-based enterprises; more than 4,200 rangers protecting wildlife and communities; and 90 new conservancies proposed.
Stories from the landscapes, policy updates and announcements are published on our news and stories page, filterable by type, theme and year.
