ABOUT US

Approximately 70% of Kenya’s wildlife occurs outside national parks. Therefore, community lands play a critical role in protecting Kenya’s rich biodiversity.

The Taita Taveta Wildlife Conservancies Association (TTWCA) is a conservation nonprofit organisation based in Kenya. It was established in 2013 to unify community-led conservation efforts by Taita Taveta conservancies for the benefit of the people and the biodiversity of the Tsavo ecosystem, one of the world’s last remaining mega fauna habitats.

TTWCA brings together a diverse membership, which comprises conservancies and ranches spread across 1 million acres of land, including critical wildlife dispersal and migratory corridors for the Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks.

Through its five strategic focus areas, TTWCA is not only securing the iconic Tsavo ecosystem but also enabling the local communities to derive multiple benefits from conservation and better land and resources management.

As a regional body, TTWCA works closely with the other regional conservation associations in Kenya under the national umbrella body Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association.

Our Vision

Improved livelihoods through conservation and sustainable rangeland management across the Tsavo landscape.

Our Mission

To support conservancies to improve livelihoods by effectively and sustainably managing the use of natural resources in the Tsavo landscape.

Our
Journey

From former hunting blocks to inspiring change, transforming lives, securing rangelands and protecting wildlife through community-led conservation. This is the story of TTWCA in brief.

Our Journey as Narrated by TTWCA Chairperson Donald Bong’osa Mcharo

The TTWCA Timeline

Big game hunting era

Pre-1963

The various pre-independence ordinances, including the crown lands ordinance, categorized land in Taita Taveta into crown land and native reserves. Larger parts of the crown land were organized as hunting blocks before Kenya’s independence in 1963.

From hunting grounds to cattle ranches

1960s-2000

New legislation, such as the Lawrence Report, conceptualized the group ranch model in Kenya and formed the legal framework for land registration based on community (pastoral) groups rather than individual basis to safeguard grazing grounds. This gradually saw the hunting blocks that clustered the vast plains of Taita Taveta converted into cattle ranches.

The rise of a unified front

2004

At the turn of the millennium, 28 ranches in Taita Taveta County came together to establish the Taita Taveta Ranches Association (TTRA). The aim was to jointly address issues of the near collapse of livestock production due to disrupted rainfall patterns, land degradation, drought and increased illegal herding in addition to illegal exploitation of resources like mines, all leading to major loss of livelihoods.

The growth into a joint conservation force

2012

In a quest to diversify income and protect the critical wildlife corridors between Tsavo East and West National Parks, the ranch owners of Taita Taveta, through support from the Kenya Wildlife Service, resolved to enhance wildlife conservation to enable income generation through conservation and tourism in addition to livestock production. This saw the transformation from TTRA to TTWCA, which was officially registered in 2013.

Ten years and we are just getting started

2021

We enter our 10th year 37 members strong and still as committed to our joint cause: to improve livelihoods through conservation. To all our members, partners, stakeholders and friends, thank you for your continued commitment.

Happy 10 years of TTWCA. Here’s to another 10 impactful years!