Corridors in focus: community-verified routes enter Oldonyiro’s land use plan

In northern Kenya’s drylands, wildlife and livestock often move along the same routes—but those routes are rarely protected by planning decisions. Legal recognition at the county level is what turns an informal pathway into something that can be managed and defended. To build on that basis, a mapping exercise identified 5,626 critical natural assets such as migratory corridors, water ponds, rock catchments, salt licks, across Laikipia, Samburu, and Isiolo counties. By mobilizing a Coalition for Change across county planners, national agencies, conservancies, and communities, the work advanced to a catalytic, evidence-driven process, now in its final stages of securing three key wildlife– livestock corridors in Oldonyiro town. Through joint verification with local communities, site assessments, and inclusive planning, the corridors were integrated into the Oldonyiro town 2024–2034 land use plan. The plan now awaits gazettement, placing these corridors on a clear path to legal protection and safer people-wildlife coexistence.

Building on this foundation, partner organizations will move forward with gazettement and practical implementation measures—such as installing signage, enacting locally relevant by-laws, and setting up monitoring systems. Together, these actions ensure that corridor protection is not just a policy on paper but a tangible safeguard that enables safer, more sustainable movement for both people and wildlife.

Restored sites double biomass and guide targeted conflict-reduction measures

Community-driven citizen science was deployed to monitor ecosystem recovery across 35,529 semicircular bunds in 6 pilot sites, with trained local monitors collecting, validating, and reporting vegetation and wildlife-use data. As a result of this, a June 2025 biodiversity assessment found that bund sites had higher biomass (≈2.5 t/ha) than control sites (≈1 t/ha), nearby untreated rangeland plots in the same grazing units. Wildlife monitoring also recorded increased elephant activity and more frequent Grevy’s zebra sightings in restored plots compared with untreated controls. The findings are significant: treated plots function as dry-season forage banks, easing pressure on sensitive pastures and water points, and the wildlife activity patterns point to where bund restoration should extend and where corridor measures will most reduce people–wildlife conflict. The same indicators provide a baseline for ongoing monitoring and maintenance, so work can be directed to the most effective sites over time.

Coalition for Change (Women in Conservation)

At Ol Gaboli, a Coalition for Change is enabling women in conservation to lead a nature-positive conservation pilot that integrates rangeland restoration, wildlife connectivity, and sustainable livelihoods. The Community Land Management Committee formally allocated the pilot site to a women-led committee and mandated it to restore and manage the area, demonstrating effective, inclusive governance.

Women from 35 women’s groups are restoring degraded rangelands by digging semicircular bunds to enhance water infiltration in hard-capped soils, regenerating pasture and strengthening wildlife corridors. These restored areas anchor womenmanaged enterprises, including beekeeping for honey production, Aloe vera and African leafy vegetables, and grass-seed banks for landscape restoration. While most groups are in the setup phase, including legal certification for aloe vera soap and honey, a group harvested 150 fodder bales from its bunds, generating approximately US$ 290.

Private-sector partners are strengthening market linkages, and the women’s honey is under Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) analysis for certification, improving quality and access to higher-value markets. Designed as a self-reinforcing loop, the pilot shows how women-led governance, restoration, and enterprise can convert ecological recovery into resilient livelihoods while sustaining stewardship and landscape regeneration.