About Us
Philosophy
The principle objectives of the GWC include:
- Conservation of the natural environment in partnership with local communities.
- A robust community development policy.
- Agricultural and pastoral development in harmony with wildlife conservation.
- Conservation of water catchments and natural waterways.
- Conservation and expansion of the natural flora with a view to benefiting the present and future generations of the Kenyan nation.
- The development of internaltional partnerships to advance education and the academic opportunities of the surrounging communities.
The rough arid terrain of the Conservancy is one where only the strongest survive, and yet this area was a hugely successful working Game Ranch run by the Galana Game Management Scheme in the last quarter of the nineteen hundreds and has been feted as a prototype for modern ranching where game and cattle are run together.
This scheme spanned through the same total landscape comprising of 3,000 square miles of unspoilt and largely empty scrub land. This not only provided a safe environment for the wildlife to roam free, but also provided limitless vegetation for the Boran cattle kept at the ranch. The infrastructure that was built around the ranch was dynamic, adaptable and purposeful. 2000km roads were constructed, constantly graded and maintained through the rainy season. Several dams were built to catch the intermittent and very short life giving rainfall in the region to the benefit of both the cattle and the wildlife. Over a dozen airstrips were constructed, along with management and ranger outposts, to protect the animals and cattle in the Ranch.
This scheme spanned through the same total landscape comprising of 3,000 square miles of unspoilt and largely empty scrub land. This not only provided a safe environment for the wildlife to roam free, but also provided limitless vegetation for the Boran cattle kept at the ranch. The infrastructure that was built around the ranch was dynamic, adaptable and purposeful. 2000km roads were constructed, constantly graded and maintained through the rainy season. Several dams were built to catch the intermittent and very short life giving rainfall in the region to the benefit of both the cattle and the wildlife. Over a dozen airstrips were constructed, along with management and ranger outposts, to protect the animals and cattle in the Ranch.
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The main threats that they experienced then, as we do today, are poaching and charcoal burning. Unless these two issues are effectively controlled Galana suffers exploitation. Future plans were set out, to include trying to eradicate these activities as a priority over all other considerations.
In the mid nineties the Ranch was taken over by the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC). The Galana Wildlife Conservancy (GWC) was created in March 2008 and has been operating as a not-for-profit company registered in Kenya in 2008. The GWC is now a 60,000 acre Conservancy located east of Tsavo East National Park, North of the Galana river, within the existing Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) Galana Ranch. The three main communities living in Galana are the Orma, the Watta and the Giriama. The Conservancy is managed by a Board of Directors who rely on the support of sponsors, donors, well wishers and volunteers from various walks of life. Our only source of revenue is from entry fees. |
