Kenya has set aside Kes.250 million (approximately 1.86 million U.S. dollars) for the 2024 wildlife census.
Patrick Omondi, the chief executive officer and director of the state-owned Wildlife Research and Training Institute, said the exercise, scheduled to conclude by June 2025, aims to obtain precise data on the population of all aquatic and land-based wildlife species in the country.
‘We have initiated preparations for conducting the 2024 wildlife census, which will be the second national-scale census since 2021,” said Omondi.
He was speaking at the inception meeting for the 2024 wildlife census, marking the start of this crucial exercise aimed at conducting comprehensive wildlife enumeration across various regions of Kenya.
Omondi emphasized that the counting exercise will employ aircraft, boats, cameras, and geographic information systems targeting wildlife species in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
The census aims to ensure ongoing monitoring of wildlife resources to gather data on the status of wildlife, including trends, threats, challenges, and opportunities.
He highlighted the significance of the planned census, especially in the wake of the severe drought in 2022 that significantly affected wildlife resources, including endangered species such as elephants and Grevy’s zebra.
