BARINGO, Kenya, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenya marked World Wildlife Day on Monday, with senior officials calling for the adoption of innovative financing mechanisms to protect iconic species amid increasing threats from habitat loss, poaching and climate change.
Rebecca Miano, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, said that traditional public funding alone is insufficient to address the growing threats to the country's wildlife heritage.
"Innovative financing mechanisms such as wildlife credits, conservation bonds and debt-for-nature swaps can bridge the funding gap and mobilize private sector participation," Miano said at a World Wildlife Day event in Baringo County, a UNESCO-designated Ramsar site in western Kenya.
She said that Kenya aims to incentivize conservation by developing frameworks that provide payments to communities or landowners who protect habitats through services such as carbon storage and water filtration, supporting the conservation of endangered species.
Erustus Kanga, director-general of the Kenya Wildlife Service, said that innovative conservation financing will contribute to national development goals, poverty alleviation, gender equality and climate resilience.
Kanga added that sustainable tourism models, such as ecotourism, can generate revenue for wildlife conservation, with proceeds directed toward conservation efforts, community development and anti-poaching measures.
During the World Wildlife Day celebrations, Kenyan officials launched the National Single Species Action Plan for the Grey Crowned Crane. According to Miano, the endangered bird species has experienced a rapid population decline of up to 80 percent over the last 50 years across its habitat in Africa.
Silvia Museiya, principal secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, said the action plan provides guidelines to mitigate the threats causing lower adult and juvenile survival rates as well as reduced breeding performance.
