NAIROBI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Wednesday launched the Thamani Asili Program, a 160-million-U.S.-dollar initiative to mobilize sustainable financing for wildlife conservation, ecosystem protection, and community development.
Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano said the 10-year program unites the government and conservation partners to safeguard the country's natural heritage while boosting community livelihoods, water security, climate resilience, and sustainable economic growth.
"Under the program agreement, the government has committed 80 million dollars, matched by a similar amount in philanthropic support mobilized through The Nature Conservancy and its alliance partner, Enduring Earth," Miano said at Tsavo West National Park in Taita Taveta County, southeastern Kenya.
Miano noted that by utilizing the Project Finance for Permanence model, Thamani Asili establishes a long-term framework to transition conservation away from short-term funding cycles toward predictable investment, institutional accountability, and measurable results.
She added that the initiative will support conservation across 31 counties, helping advance Kenya's goal of bringing at least 30 percent of its lands, inland waters, and near-shore ecosystems under effective management.
The program includes establishing approximately 2.7 million hectares of new conserved areas, improving the management of 11 million hectares of existing conservation spaces, and empowering communities to manage an additional six million hectares.
According to Miano, the initiative is expected to directly benefit about 1.6 million people, with an estimated 3.9 million more gaining indirect benefits through improved land governance, natural resource management, and nature-based economic opportunities.
She added that the investments will create around 7,800 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs, opening up new prospects in ecotourism, sustainable grazing, carbon initiatives, and other green enterprises.
Kenya Wildlife Service Director General Erustus Kanga emphasized that successful conservation must protect both wildlife and the livelihoods, cultures, and heritage of communities living alongside it.
"In Tsavo, conservation is not just about protecting wildlife; it is about protecting a way of life, honoring the cultures and heritage of our communities, and securing a future where people and wildlife thrive together," Kanga noted.
Thamani Asili is also expected to contribute to avoiding approximately 7.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2035, reinforcing the link between nature conservation, climate action and economic resilience.
