| dc.description.abstract | The Luhya community of Kenya has a saying, which goes that, "whoever sleeps with an
elephant must have strong ribs". Literary this can be translated to mean that whoever
decides to co-exist with an elephant must be prepared to face daunting tasks. And it is
true that for years, human beings have tried to co-exist with elephants. Indian
communities for centuries, have managed to tame and domesticate Indian elephants
(Elphas Maximus). Besides performing other tasks, like taking part in festivals, they are
also used as beasts of burden.
Though the African Elephants (Loxodanta Africana) have defied any attempts of being
domesticated, for centuries they have played a significant role in providing human beings
with happiness and sorrow. The elephant tusks are used essentially as a decoration and
symbol of wealthy and power. Their tails, skin and meat are also useful to human beings.
Their feaces have medicinal values, which through generations have been used as a cure
for number of diseases. Both colonial and post-colonial governments in East Africa have
used elephants to marshal tourism industry. But with all these benefits, elephants have
been a cause of misery to many communities living adjacent to protected areas.
This study is an attempt to address three main research problems, namely, the elephant
problem and their conservation, poverty and land use. The elephant problem has evolved
from their population numbers, which at one time exceeded the carrying capacity of some
protected areas in 1960's, later on assuming the form of human-elephant conflict. The
management of conflict is what this research is proposing to address through policy
recommendations.
Taita Taveta district is facing a social problem of prevailing poverty. The elephant
problem is one of the causes of poverty in the district, among other factors. One way of
alleviating poverty is through the establishment of elephant conservation areas. The
conservation will turn the ineffective land use into an effective one and to become a
source of income to some households.
With exception of the National Park, the current land use approaches in Taita Taveta are
ineffective. This is because of a number 'of reasons such as climatic conditions, land
fragmentation, incompatibility of land use method and poor land use practices, among
other factors. This study address these issues and put forth propositions for other new
land use practices.
The study has relied on primary and secondary data. The primary data has been used to
verify the existing secondary data, and has been subjected to analysis and subsequent
interpretations and conclusions.
The study has proposed a policy framework for comprehensive land use policy, and
wildlife conservation in unprotected areas. • | en |
