A partnership of Ewaso Lions and Grevy’s Zebra Trust

Lions and Grevy’s zebra in northern Kenya are due to face unprecedented impacts of linear infrastructure due to the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor, which will cut across the region over the next decade. There is a critical window of opportunity to mainstream ecological sustainability into LAPSSET upfront such that Kenya is held up as a global example of best practice.

Through this project, taking a collaborative and coalition building approach, Ewaso Lions, in concert with the Grevy’s Zebra Trust, intend to safeguard lion and Grevy’s zebra corridors and movement in northern Kenya, ensure community and non-governmental participation in the decision making process as the infrastructure is designed and built, and monitor and mitigate the impacts of the LAPSSET project to harmonise infrastructure development with ecosystems.

Kenya is home to about 2,500 lions with its third largest population, an estimated 200 individuals, hosted in the Samburu – Isiolo – Laikipia ecosystem. The area, extending up to Marsabit and southern parts of Ethiopia also hosts the only range for the endangered Grevy’s zebra, a global population numbering approximately 3,042 individuals, of which 92% are in Kenya.

Lions face a plethora of threats including retaliatory killing due to livestock depredation, human encroachment into protected areas, and reduction in prey numbers due to land degradation. The latter threat epitomizes the Grevy’s zebra challenge, which has suffered one of the most drastic population declines of any African mammal due to habitat loss, competition with livestock, and increasing climatic variability.

A rising threat to both predator and prey in the 21st century is the loss of habitat through development and urbanization. Linear infrastructure development in Kenya, as with much of Africa, is experiencing a boom, with large-scale projects planned during the next two decades, fuelled by foreign investment. In recent years, the Kenyan government embarked on a project to improve the country’s economy and upscale livelihoods under the “Kenya Vision 2030 Economic Development Plan”. This led to the initiation of Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport (LAPSSET) corridor project – comprising a road, railway, pipeline, airport and a resort city along the corridor – cutting through the biodiversity rich region of Samburu and Isiolo counties.

The social-cultural context in which this megaproject is to take place is critical. Northern Kenya is predominantly occupied by pastoralists whose lifestyle is generally more compatible with wildlife conservation. Whilst these proposed developments are likely to raise living standards for some communities in this region, the landscape changes may result in the loss of critical wildlife and livestock habitats and corridors, and adversely affect people’s way of life.

Our work in this region will be significant in informing and empowering communities on these issues and how their livelihoods may change. Our approach is one of collaboration and we hope through extensive engagement with all stakeholders, we will be able to ensure that whilst development projects are put in place, the needs of wildlife, their habitat, the communities and their livestock are not neglected.

Copyright © 2023 EwasoLions.org All Rights Reserved.