Land Use & Management

Land use and management provides the overarching umbrella that is required to maintain a landscape approach to the future of Laikipia. The Forum’s history had traditionally dealt only with the private ranches of Laikipia. In more recent years (the last 15), the Forum has grown to include interest groups, associations, and organizations in the greater Laikipia landscape.

This thematic area is closely linked to other themes, but most specifically to rangelands, in that many of the goals of the rangelands theme help to realize a more robust land use model supporting natural resource conservation at landscape scale.

Our Goal

By the year 2030, the FORUM will have established these four components as a regular part of its secretariat functions, supporting the implementation and contributions to the tools and outputs described here, through their partnerships and associations.

Conservation Land Trust

With the assistance of The Nature Conservancy, The FORUM examined the role that a land trust, easements, and alternative land conservation instruments might play in the long-term future of Laikipia. While still in its infant stages, the potential for a new institution could be used to protect key parcels of the landscape, and help to ensure the contiguity and connectivity of rangelands for wildlife. The Conservation Land Trust could also be used to ensure Laikipia maintains maximum public benefits from private lands. The instrument would primarily be designed to offer landowners an opportunity to leave their land in conservation status for perpetuity. This offers an important tool in a landscape characterized by minimal succession planning and an unsure tenure future. It is also a potential tool in support of the conservancy movement, for abandoned parcels, and for trust lands without a clear and confident future. The Central Laikipia and Lewa/Borana landscape models are two emerging examples of a “land trust approach” to the sustainability of rangelands in Laikipia. We must look to substantiate and support these models.

Spatial Planning

Spatial Planning is the County Government’s tool to address land use and the subsequent roles and responsibilities of sustainable land management. Using a combination of factors (zoning, taxation, incentives, subsidies, etc.) the County spatial plans are a 10-year document guiding development of land in each County. We see our role as a major contributor to the first, and subsequent spatial plans for Laikipia County, and other landscape counties.

Community Land Act

One of the most significant instruments to affect land tenure and land ownership is the Community Land Act of 2016. This Act will in essence, formalize tenure and titling of land presently held under the Group Ranch Act and/or Trust lands. This shift of ownership can have a radical impact on land use, and without the proper incentives, “parcelization” could spell the end of wide-ranging wildlife and livestock movements across the landscape. The FORUM will contribute to matters related to land rights, public awareness, and incentives for landscape-level conservation throughout the land registration process and thereafter.

Landscape-level Biodiversity, Social, and Economic Mapping and Monitoring

The most essential justification for a land use model supporting rangelands and biodiversity must be substantiated by regular monitoring key landscape indicator. We propose that an international consortium managing information on the biodiversity, social and economic indicators, premised on the 2013 study for Laikipia County be responsible for the regular monitoring, mapping, evaluation, and reporting on these key landscape indicators.

The Mpala Research Centre was originally established for this purpose but has struggled to fulfill this original mandate. Instead, we suggest an international working group, guided by an MOU, to focus on joint indicator development and monitoring drawn from among others:

Contributions of the Rural Economy study of 2013,
The LFA biannual reports
The biannual wildlife census conducted by LWF, DRSRS, MRC and KWS
County Strategies and Integrated Develop Plans
Spatial Plans

5 –Year Objectives

Activities

Role of the FORUM

In addition to playing a secretariat role to members/ associates, the Forum intends to increase the scope and scale of its offering at the Forum’s Nanyuki compound.

Within the next three years, the Forum will expand the facilities and services to include additional office space, GIS services, library, and meeting/training hall for its members. The Laikipia Center for Landscape Conservation and Education will be such a facility.

Partners

Key partnerships working to support these theme are the LFA, LCA, Counties of Laikipia, Meru, Nyandarua, Samburu, Isiolo, Nyeri; Mpala Research Center, NRT, KWS, KFS, WRA, Space for Giants, Mount Kenya Trust