The Kenya Wildlife Service, otherwise known by the initialism KWS, is a Kenyan state corporation that was established in 1990 to conserve and manage Kenya’s wildlife. It is established under an Act of Parliament Cap 376 (The Wildlife Conservation and Management Act) with the mandate to conserve and manage wildlife in Kenya, and to enforce related laws and regulations. It manages the biodiversity of the country, protecting and conserving the flora and fauna[1].
KWS manages the National Parks and Reserves in Kenya. The money collected as entrance fees in the parks is used to help the conservation of the plants and animals within the parks.
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Kenya has 35 designated national parks and reserves:
KWS runs specific programmes to assist Kenyan species and habitats that are in particular danger. They have forest and wetland conservation programmes, as well as specific elephant and rhino projects to help them recover from poaching. The hirola, which is in danger of extinction, is also being monitored.
Within KWS there are several services, each responsible for a different area of work:
This branch of the KWS works outside the national parks. They work instead in areas such as wildlife corridors, and teach the communities living there to encourage conservation and look after their resources.
The job of this service is to eliminate poaching in the national parks, and stop illegal trade.
This service ensures that healthy breeding populations of species are maintained throughout the country.
KWS has a training centre based in Naivasha. KWS staff are taught here, and courses are also run for outside students in ecology and tourism.
KWS run several education centres:
These are located inside National Parks, and run programs to encourage people to care for their environment. It is aimed at local people, particularly school groups, but is open to anyone.