Breaking! Nairobi National Park In Kenya Receives Title To 2,000 Acres Of Government Land Increasing Space For Endangered Species To A Total Of 49,000 Additional Acres

The government of Kenya has granted a title deed to Nairobi National Park for 2,000 acres of Government land that was formerly known as a Sheep and Goat Research Facility, which is adjacent to the Park. The title was presented by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at a ceremony at the Kenyatta International Convention Center earlier this week.

“Giving the title deed to Nairobi National Park enables the Park to secure the much needed space for wildlife and is a clear testimony of Kenya’s commitment to wildlife conservation,” President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a statement. “We must secure more space for wildlife habitat for posterity.”

The formal acquisition of the title deed means that Nairobi National Park, which is home to a wide variety of wildlife and 100 mammal species including: endangered black rhinos, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes and giraffes, among many others, will expand from its current 29,000 acres to 31,000 acres under the protection of Kenya Wildlife Service.

The land located on the southern side of Nairobi National Park will provide a wildlife corridor to inter-connect the Park with the Swara Plains and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) conservancies.

Last month, ILRI and Swara Plains Conservancy declared 32,000 acres, as well as 15,000 acres of land for wildlife conservation in Machakos County. This means that the Park will now have 49,000 acres available for wildlife that includes the 2,000 acres in Nairobi National Park.

Nairobi National Park is the only park in the world within a Metropolitan area. However, it faces threats due to numerous infrastructure developments brought by human settlements adjacent to the park.

Due to reduced space for wildlife in the park, several animal species occasionally move out of the park to the adjacent communities in search of forage and water. In the process, it sometimes results in human-wildlife conflicts outside the park. The newly-acquired land will therefore provide additional habitat to wildlife resulting in reduced conflicts between wildlife and people.

Wildlife corridors are important for maintaining the viability of isolated wildlife populations, genetic connectivity, conserving ecosystems, and ecological connectivity for balancing environmental conservation and human development needs.

Migration and connectivity corridors are also often central to climate change adaptation strategies by providing options for shifts in wildlife ranges, thereby mitigating habitat fragmentation, degradation, and associated impacts on biodiversity.

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