OUR STORY
In Kenya, about 65% of wildlife lives beyond Park boundaries. Kenya's protected areas, which include national parks, national reserves, and state-protected forests, account for only 10% of the total landmass. For wildlife conservation and tourism to thrive, communities that have lived with wildlife for generations should complement the efforts of national parks and reserves in conservation. The rise of the formation of community conservancies was accelerated in 1997 when the Kenya Wildlife Service launched a campaign dubbed “Parks Beyond Parks” that aimed at initiating landowners to establish conservancies. An idea that was embraced and is now a conservation model in Kenya.
PECFO Genesis
In the coastal region of Kenya, excluding Taita Taveta, there was a pressing need for a membership organization to champion the agenda of conservancies. The coastal communities, rich in cultural heritage and natural resources, had yet to fully harness conservation as a viable land-use practice.
After five years of consultations and planning involving landowners and community conservancies, in 2022, Pwani Ecosystem Conservancies Foundation was formally registered as a limited company, setting the stage for its mission to promote vibrant conservancies that contribute to better livelihoods for local communities. Since then, PECFO, a landscape organization under the umbrella body of the Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA), has been at the forefront of conservation efforts in the coastal region, working tirelessly to ensure that the natural beauty and biodiversity of the Pwani landscape are preserved for future generations.
By 2024, PECFO has expanded its membership to nineteen (19) member conservancies drawn from the five coastal counties of Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Tana River, and Lamu. The Foundation opened its first office in Malindi in 2022 and later moved to Kwale town in June 2024, where it still has its current office.
