Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary

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Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary (MES) is a community-owned elephant park, a conservation area for elephants, in the Coast Province of Kenya, in the Kwale district. It is located 45 km southwest of Mombasa and is adjacent to the Shimba Hills National Reserve. The sanctuary was formed in the early 1990s as a cooperative project between the people of the surrounding Mwaluganje community, United States Agency for International Development, and the Born Free Foundation and the Eden Wildlife Trust.

community-based program, where by local people have “leased” their property to a community based trust, which manages the sanctuary for the benefit and preservation of the elephants. It also provides valuable revenue for the landowners and local people, realised through eco-tourism and gate entrance fees. The area off the Shimba Hills escarpment in K

MES is an example of ecotourism, as well as community-based-conservation efforts, both of which are very recent trends in conservation management. In this community-based program, the local people have leased their privately-owned property to a community based trust. The trust manages the sanctuary for the conservation and preservation of the elephants. In addition it is a valuable source of revenue for the local people, re through monies generated by eco-tourism and gate entrance fees. The area is off the Shimba Hills escarpment in Kwale District and is on the to the migratory route leading to Tsavo East National Reserve.^[1]