50 Community Rangers Graduate from AWF-Sponsored Training

The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is pleased to announce that 50 community rangers graduated on September 21, 2020 at Kasigau Community Conservancy Headquarters in the Tsavo-Mkomazi landscape. The 3-week training was organized by the Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancies Association (TTWCA) and funded by AWF.

“I can verify that the transformation that has gone in the training of these rangers is phenomenal. I have been involved in this kind of work for a long time and I can tell you that this is the fastest and most impressive transformation that I have seen in recruits who are just beginning from scratch. I commend Nawi Rangers and their partners here at Kasigau and other group ranches in Taita Taveta for the good work that they have done,” said Maurice Nyaligu, AWF’s Tsavo-Mkomazi Landscape Manager.

The 50 community rangers came from nine conservancies in Taita Taveta. They were trained in law enforcement, community relations, human rights, application of intelligence and investigative skills, and mitigation of human-wildlife conflict. AWF’s COVID-19 emergency response helped to support this training, along with provisions for the scouts, including food rations, uniforms, and boots.

Taita Taveta conservation rangers are tasked with the conservation of flora and fauna within the Tsavo West region. The training was aimed at forging a united front and developing a common strategy towards conservation and the sustainable exploitation of the resources within the ranches for the benefit of the owners and the community at large.

Support to community rangers is part of AWF’s multi-pronged interventions in the landscape, which also includes species conservation, on-the-job training and support to wildlife crime prosecutors, a court monitoring program and logistical support to Kenya Wildlife Service — the government body in charge of conserving and managing wildlife.

About African Wildlife Foundation

African Wildlife Foundation is the primary advocate for the protection of wildlife and wild lands as an essential part of a modern and prosperous Africa. Founded in 1961 to focus on Africa’s unique conservation needs, AWF articulates a uniquely African vision, bridging science and public policy and demonstrating the benefits of conservation to ensure the survival of the continent’s wildlife and wild lands.