- The CS said there is a need to empower the youth and enable them to gain meaningful benefits from conservation activities.
- Mutua also acknowledged Kenya's rising human-wildlife conflicts and the lack of adequate funding for conservation.
The government has emphasised that local communities and young people must be involved in all conservation programmes.
Tourism and Wildlife CS Alfred Mutua made the clarion call on Wednesday when he presided over the opening ceremony of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Africa Conservation Forum in Nairobi.
The forum is under the theme African Solutions for Nature and People: Creating Transformative Responses to Africa's Biodiversity and Climate Crisis.
"For conservation to be truly effective and sustainable, we must ensure that local communities are not only involved but are also primary beneficiaries," Mutua said.
The CS said there is a need to empower the youth and enable them to gain meaningful benefits from conservation activities.
Over 500 delegates are attending the three-day forum, which has brought together IUCN members and stakeholders from across Africa and beyond to discuss biodiversity, conservation and the sustainable development challenges faced by the continent.
Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 member organisations and around 16,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis.
Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.
Mutua also acknowledged Kenya's rising human-wildlife conflicts and the lack of adequate funding for conservation, advocating for innovative partnerships to enhance Africa's conservation efforts.
"Kenya, with its rich biodiversity, is actively implementing the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, focusing on locally led and appropriate solutions for nature and people," Mutua said.
The state is yet to pay up compensation claims to the victims of human-wildlife conflict running to billions.
Mutua said the country is also faced with inadequate financing for the effective management of protected and conserved areas, declining species and environmental degradation of key tourism resources among others.
“This calls for innovative approaches and partnerships to unlock the endless opportunities that support livelihoods, develop local economies, and preserve the rich wildlife and environment while strengthening the strong and enduring cultural ties between the people of this country and the wildlife and habitats we share, creative approaches and partnerships with a variety of stakeholders, including the private sector, are required,” he said.
IUCN president Razan Al Mubarak said the union is glad to see the growing recognition of the need for inclusive conservation in the African region, and the engagement of so many organisations and individuals in achieving the common goal of ensuring equity, justice and rights during its implementation.
IUCN director general Dr Grethel Aguilar said, “It is the first time we are holding a forum as African continent, and I know this was the correct decision, because the voices of Africa are better and stronger together. People must be at the centre of our actions. United, we can create solutions that help people and nature thrive, recognising the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.”
The event gives participants the opportunity to use the union’s platform to amplify their voice and influence policy at regional and global levels.
It is one of several IUCN Regional Conservation Fora, held across the globe this year, that offers members an opportunity to shape the agenda for the IUCN World Conservation Congress, to be held in the United Arab Emirates in 2025.
The IUCN Congress in turn sets the global conservation agenda for the years ahead.
In the past, the three IUCN sub-regions of Africa, under the auspices of Eastern and Southern Africa, West and Central Africa and the Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, each held their own Regional Conservation Forum.
This year, inspired by the impact of the first-ever IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress held in July 2022 in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, IUCN hosts one forum for the entire continent.