Kenya seeks closer cooperation with China on wildlife protection

Kenya is seeking closer cooperation with China and other international partners to strengthen wildlife conservation as climate change, funding shortages and limited resources put growing pressure on efforts to protect the country's biodiversity.

Gladys Kosgei, director for partnerships and enterprise at the Kenya Wildlife Service, said wildlife conservation requires a collective approach, with governments, conservation organizations and communities working together to address challenges that extend beyond national borders.

Speaking at a wildlife conservation art event in Nairobi on Thursday, Kosgei said KWS is keen to deepen partnerships with China and other countries to support conservation efforts.

She noted that protecting wildlife is a shared responsibility that no single institution or country can shoulder alone.

Duncan Juma, senior assistant director at KWS, said Kenya's conservation efforts continue to be constrained by shortages of personnel, equipment and funding, challenges that have been compounded by increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.

Prolonged droughts have dried up waterholes that wildlife depend on, while floods have damaged roads in national parks, making it difficult for conservation teams to access some areas.

Juma said stronger international partnerships could help address these challenges and improve Kenya's ability to protect its wildlife and natural habitats.

The event brought together Kenyan conservation officials and Chinese wildlife photographers, who showcased a collection of photographs and paintings highlighting the beauty of wildlife and the importance of protecting it.

Xiao Ge, a representative of the Chinese wildlife photographers' team, said photography could help bridge cultural differences while drawing greater public attention to conservation.

"Images are a powerful medium. We will continue to promote exchanges between Chinese and African nature photographers, showcase humanity's achievements in protecting wildlife and push conservation work forward," Xiao said.

Yang Min, president of the Kenya Chinese Youth Association, said young people also have an important role to play in conservation and expressed hope that more would become involved in wildlife protection.

"We hope more young people will pay attention to wildlife and take part in protecting it," she said.

Pei Tuo contributed to this story.