Session: OS-E1
The Changing Face of Kenya’s Next Generation of Conservation Leaders

Kenya is undergoing sweeping social and cultural changes in many ways. In the pastoral regions to the north, boys who would have traditionally lived and practiced as pastoralists, spending weeks and sometimes months at a time in the landscape with livestock, are increasingly encouraged to attend school instead. In addition, improvements for the rights of girls have yielded new opportunities and attainable dreams to young girls which were... [ view more ]

Kenya is undergoing sweeping social and cultural changes in many ways. In the pastoral regions to the north, boys who would have traditionally lived and practiced as pastoralists, spending weeks and sometimes months at a time in the landscape with livestock, are increasingly encouraged to attend school instead. In addition, improvements for the rights of girls have yielded new opportunities and attainable dreams to young girls which were considered far-fetched as little as one generation ago.

Changes to the lives of adolescents in Kenya will likely have implications for conservation. On one hand, more individuals with formal education could result in a greater value placed on conservation of Kenya’s wildlife and habitats. On the other hand, young men who will not have the years of direct experience in nature as pastoralists like their fathers and grandfathers, and women with less direct experience in the landscape retrieving water and fire wood, may feel differently and/or know less about local landscapes than their predecessors.

This panel will consist of a moderated discussion facilitated by Dr. Brett Bruyere. It will begin with a short introduction of the geographic and cultural context of the Samburu region in northern Kenya, followed by introductions of the panelists, responses to pre-determined questions by the panelists, and then an open question/answer session to include attendees.

The session will include adolescents that represent the pastoralist and women groups that are undergoing considerable cultural change. They will share their first-hand perspective about these changes in Kenya and the possible implications for conservation, though the lens of their own experiences. They will be joined by two community leaders who have worked closely with these groups for a dynamic discussion about how Samburu's future leaders may feel l about conservation and Kenya’s wildlife resources. Note: there are no individual abstracts for presenters in this session. [ view less ]