Securing Wildlife Habitat

Protecting the remaining wild habitat areas in Big Life’s area of operation is an increasing program focus and a critical conservation need. Big Life's engagement in conservancy development is composed of two specific parts.

The first is paying annual leases to hundreds of owners of 60-acre parcels of land located in the Kimana Corridor. These lease payments are intended to limit destructive development of the land, other than that which is compatible with conservation and pastoralism.

The second involves working with local communities to protect land that is strategically important either as wildlife movement corridors or dispersal areas, but is also valuable to the local livestock economy as a grazing resource. This protection can be achieved through the establishment of conservancies, including the legal and management systems necessary for their effective functioning, and assisting to develop income-generating opportunities such as tourism.

Kimana Sanctuary, at the easternmost part of the Kimana Corridor, is an area frequented by Amboseli’s biggest bull elephants, including known tuskers like Tim. Thanks to support from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the D.N. Batten Foundation, Big Life rangers are working to secure this special place.