Examining the assumption that private property rights create incentives for the management of resources, this paper argues that private property rights and current wildlife conservation and management laws and policies in Kenya fail to provide the solution to wildlife biodiversity erosion. This is partly because of their preoccupation with a monolithic system of property ownership favouring the state and individuals and neglecting communities and/or groups.
The document suggests that in order for sustainable wildlife management to succeed, perceived benefits have to outweigh the benefits of building up the area, using the area as pasture land or cultivating it. Some ways in which conservation imperatives can be harmonised with the aspirations of rural communtites is through the chanelling of benefits derived from wildlife to such communities.
