Community Participation in Wildlife Conservation in Amboseli Ecosystem, Kenya

Amboseli National Park is regarded as one of the most economically significant parks owing to high tourist visitation and revenue streams. Despite the economic significance of Amboseli National Park, the wildlife dispersal areas outside the park boundaries are shrinking at an alarming rate due to changing land use activities and a growing human population pressure, aggravating human -wildlife conflicts as well as creating unviable ecosystem for wildlife. The park cannot support the current wildlife populations without the dispersal areas offered by the community land. The ecological limitation of the park calls for the management of wildlife resource in the ecosystem to be inclusive and involve the local communities. This study therefore aimed to provide these linkages and fill the existing gap by examining modalities for enhancing community participation in wildlife conservation in Amboseli Ecosystem informed by Social Exchange Theory and supported by the General Systems Theory.