Taita Taveta, Kenya, March 31, 2023 – TTWCA member conservancies, potential investors and representatives from the Taita Taveta County Department of Livestock held a meeting in Voi to discuss ways to invest in sustainable livestock production and biodiversity conservation in Taita Taveta conservancies and ranches.
The primary objective of the meeting was to explore ways in which biodiversity and livestock investments could be harnessed to benefit the county and its residents.
“We need to tap into the vast potential that our landscape possesses in terms of biodiversity. By doing so, we can diversify our revenue streams which in turn promote accelerated development for the benefit of the communities that own the ranches and conservancies in Taita Taveta.”
– Alfred Mwanake, CEO TTWCA
EarthAcre, one of the main speakers during the meeting, highlighted the benefits of financing the conservation of biodiversity to meet the Global Biodiversity Framework.
They also illustrated how they are incorporating technology to mitigate climate change and biodiversity collapse, reiterating the importance of working closely with local conservation organizations who have a wealth of information on conservation.
Dr. Jaffery Jabir from the country government’s livestock department pinpointed the opportunities available within livestock production, which the ranches can partake through TTWCA.
“Taita Taveta Ranches, who have been in livestock production for quite some time now, can reach the export market by unifying our efforts and putting in place some interventions, such as developing ISO Certified slaughterhouses and feedlots for prime beef production. This would improve access to the export market, resulting in increased revenue.”
– Dr. Jabir, County Govt. Livestock Department
Members present also explored challenges investing in the county, such as inadequate funding and the need for better frameworks.
They also acknowledged the need for conservancies to come together and work as one unit with the county government coming in to support them to explore the livestock enterprise and options for financing biodiversity conservation.