International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume VI, Issue X, October 2022|ISSN 2454-6186
Wildlife Security and International Relations
Waweru J., Dr Anita Kiamba
Department of Diplomacy & International Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Abstract: Kenya is endowed with an enormous biodiversity of ecosystems and wildlife species. This rich wildlife together with other attractions has for decades made the country an important tourist destination and hub for the lucrative tourist industry. Nonetheless, wildlife species continue to face threats such as commercial poaching for trophies and human wildlife conflicts that hinder their survival. It is important to mitigate these threats to ensure wildlife species do not go extinct and Kenya continues to pull tourists into the country. The absence of wildlife security poses a threat to international relations. This is because wildlife crimes increase global crime rates that often lead to instability in the global arena. Furthermore, wildlife crime has, throughout history, been a source of funding for rebel groups, militias and extremist groups like the Alshabaab in Somalia. These groups undermine good governance and development efforts of states. This study aims at analyzing the key threats to wildlife security in Kenya and international relations, examining the severity of wildlife threats both locally in Kenya and globally and establishing probable solutions that can be tailor-made to address threats to wildlife security in Kenya and international relations.
I. INTRODUCTION
Kenya is ranked high in terms of biodiversity. Its enormous biodiversity includes 25,000 different animal species (Natural Habitat Adventures, 2021). Because of this, concerted efforts between the government of Kenya and its’ citizenry have been made to protect this wildlife heritage. This has been possible through establishing conservation areas that account for 12.6% of the country’s total area. In Kenya’s tourism sector, wildlife heritage offers 10% of its Gross Domestic Product. This makes the tourism sector the third largest contributor to GDP after the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. Moreover, wildlife tourism generates about US 1 billion per year, making it the leading foreign exchange earner in Kenya. Nonetheless, the conservation of many of the world’s large, charismatic, and legally protected species is in crisis for a variety of reasons including illegal taking and trafficking (Douglas and Alie, 2014).
The illegal trade in wildlife and its products has been the subject of an impressive array of international conferences, journal articles and conservation programs. As a result, ‘wildlife crime’ is now a buzzword. Despite this attention, the effective management of these issues is far from clear, and some components of the phenomenon, such as the ivory trade, are reportedly escalating rapidly. Moreover, rapid increase in human population has also contributed to a decline in wildlife population (Macmillan, 2016).