Kenya and The Nature Conservancy launch a $160 million, 10-year plan for community conservation

Kenya's government and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have launched Thamani Asili, a $160 million, 10-year plan to fund community-led conservation across about 17.3 million hectares, TNC announced on 21 October. About 1.6 million people are expected to benefit directly, and another 3.9 million may benefit indirectly.

The money comes in two halves: $80 million from philanthropy and a matching $80 million from the government of Kenya, spread over 10 years. The partners include Enduring Earth, and donor funds will be administered by the Thamani Asili Fund for Kenya.

Long-term money instead of short projects

Thamani Asili is a Project Finance for Permanence, or PFP. TNC describes the model as moving conservation from short-term project funding to sustained, long-term investment; here the government's matching share is spread over the 10 years.

Over the decade, the plan covers about 2.7 million hectares of new conserved areas, about 11 million hectares of existing conservation areas whose management will improve, and about 6 million hectares where communities will be helped to manage land better.

“Our communities are not separate from conservation; they are its heart.” — Prof. Erustus Kanga, Director General, Kenya Wildlife Service

Communities lead the land management

Rebecca Miano, Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, said conserving nature “creates opportunities, strengthens livelihoods and honours the cultures and heritage” of the people who live there. “We know that when communities lead, conservation can deliver lasting results,” said Ruth Masha, TNC's Kenya country director.

Plans like this also count toward the global goal of conserving 30% of land by 2030; our explainer on 30x30 shows how far the world has come. On the coast, this month, ten Western Indian Ocean countries adopted 15 decisions to protect reefs and coasts.

What has not been announced yet

The announcement does not list which conservancies or counties are included, or how the money will be split each year. Those details, and independent monitoring of results, will decide how much the 17.3 million hectares figure means on the ground.