Human-Wildlife Conflict in Lake Nakuru National Park. Impacts to the Surrounding Communities

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2018 in the subject Tourism - Miscellaneous, grade: 89.7, Kenyatta University, language: English, abstract: The purpose of this research was to study on the impacts of human wildlife conflict in the surrounding communities of Lake nakuru national park. To fulfill the intention of this research, the objectives were: to investigate the impacts of human wildlife in Lake Nakuru national park and the surrounding communities, to determine the relationship between wildlife and the surrounding communities in LNNP and the available conflict reporting procedures by KWS. Furthermore, the aim was to examine the influence between human population increase adjacent to the park and human wildlife conflict in LNNP, to establish how the current response and mitigation measures by KWS influences human wildlife conflict in LNNP, to establish how the current response and mitigation measures by KWS influences human wildlife conflict in LNNP. To achieve the above objectives, the study adopted the empirical evidence for the analyses and presentation of data. In quantitative techniques, the analyses were supported by the use of statistical package for social science, proportions, percentages and averages to arrive at a general picture for the generation of conclusion. Qualitative data from questionnaires and active observation of some wildlife for instance baboon's and monkey behavior, and other evidences were analyzed thematically employed into the computation of statistical tables, bar graphs as well as charts. Human-Wildlife Conflict has become a serious problem in different parts of the world with adverse impacts on lives of the local people. This has been attributed to a number of factors including the fact that human population increases but the resources available are fixed. Close to the protected areas for instance, the problem is very serious with the local communities' interaction with wildlife creating negative impacts to both sides. Destruction of property, transmision of diseases, deaths, attacks and injuries are some of the impacts associated with HWC in such areas. In each of these impacts, most often local communities reataliate by killing the wildlife because of the feeling that wildlife have no benefit to them but rather the root cause of their problems.