Moi University

‘Partnerships in conservation, tourism development and sustainable livelihoods in group ranches in the Amboseli Ecosystem, Kenya’

I a bit to enhance conservation, tourism and improved livelihoods, partnerhsip arrangements have taken centre stage in the Amboseli Ecosystem. Partnerships are popular with private investors and/or NGO’s, who collaborate with local community group ranch owners. Whereas success stories have been documented with regard to local community benefits and nature conservation, the multiplicity of actors in partnerships with varied and often conflicting histories, practices, interests and strategies make partnerships complex initiatives to operationalise. Therefore Tabitha’s research aims at examining the formation, organisation and operationalisation of partnerships in the Amboseli Ecosystem, their challenges and opportunities as well as the their factual contributions towards sustainable tourism development, nature conservation and local development.

Currently Tabitha is carrying out her field work at three group ranches around Amboseli National Park.