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Northeastern Conservancies Association

Overview

North-Eastern Wildlife Conservancies Association (NECA) is a legally established, non-profit landscape management organization representing the marginalized Kenyan and Somali communities in northeastern Kenya (Garissa, Wajir and Mandera counties).

It is an umbrella body designed to lead the communities of northeastern Kenya towards solving shared challenges in this region through conservation. NECA develops the capacity and self-sufficiency of its constituent community organizations through biodiversity conservation, natural resource management and natural resource-based enterprises.

NECA currently consists of 24 community based conservancies covering an approximate area of 5,000,000+ acres. Through a volunteer membership, NECA supports communities to be agents of change while coordinating both current and future conservation for the well-being of their stakeholders. As a regional member of Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA), NECA leverages support from government and private sector for its member conservancies, and strengthens capacities in inclusive governance, wildlife protection, livelihood development, and knowledge management. Its major, long-term goal is to establish a network of community conservancies that spin the vast drought stricken, volatile areas of northeastern Kenya along the Kenya-Somalia border. In this way, they will be increasing conservation practices in the region while also improving the livelihoods of the local communities through science and inclusive community participation. In general, NECA provides a unified voice to the indigenous communities in Garissa, Mandera and Wajir counties, that addresses the shared challenges and most importantly provides an unlikely win-win situation for wildlife and local communities.

Our Values

  • Evidence-based decision making: We recognize indigenous knowledge in natural resources management, community-based knowledge, and practices that sustained natural resources in the past and rely on research to come up with best practices through innovation to sustain community and conservation.
  • Accountability and Transparency: We focus on measurable outcomes and pride ourselves in sharing of information and ideas that could potentially change how we view community and conservation.
  • Collaboration and Inclusion: We embrace and welcome other organizations and people from all walks of life to work with the local communities to achieve our goals and come up with solutions to challenges facing conservation outside protected areas.
  • Integrity: We uphold high standards of professionalism and work ethics in a manner consistent with our core values.

Objectives

  • To support the establishment and management of community-based conservation areas, in northeastern Kenya.
  • To Facilitate the formation of regional coordinated anti-poaching units across the existing and proposed conservancies.
  • To Facilitate education, community outreach programmes and Livelihood development and diversification
  • To Facilitate peace and conflict resolution.