From ‘community-based’ to ‘community-led conservation’ in Kenya: Interview with Dickson Kaelo

Dickson Kaelo, a prominent advocate for community-led conservation in Kenya, recalls his formative years spent tending to livestock alongside his father, a veterinarian. Kaelo, a member of the semi-nomadic Maasai pastoralist community, witnessed firsthand the contentious relationship between pastoralist communities and wildlife.

Lions preying on cattle, elephants trampling crops, and hyenas raiding goats were common occurrences. The loss of livestock and crops from wildlife often left communities with little choice but to sell their remaining animals to fund their children's education.

Driven by a desire to find a middle ground between conflict and conservation, Kaelo returned to the northern Maasai Mara nearly three decades ago after completing his college education. He began working with local elders to establish a community trust in 1998, which aimed to manage land, resources, and revenues collectively for the benefit of the community.

The trust undertook various initiatives, including building dams and dispensaries, supporting hundreds of students through scholarships, and exploring ways to generate tourism income while maintaining livestock on the land.

Unfortunately, the community trust fell apart shortly after its establishment. While Kaelo was away studying wildlife, the land under its care was subdivided into individual holdings. This led him to question whether abandoning conservation altogether was the best course of action. However, Kaelo held onto his belief that land could still be privately owned while being managed collectively.

Between 2004 and 2006, Kaelo returned to the same landscape, determined to find a way to reconcile the interests of both communities and wildlife. Through his efforts, he laid the groundwork for the modern community-led conservation model in Kenya, which has since become a vital component of the country's conservation strategy.