In the heart of Kenya lies Laikipia County, a significant conservation landscape home to approximately 7,475 elephants and part of the Laikipia-Samburu Ecosystem, which hosts approximately 50 percent of Kenya’s second-largest elephant population. However, this rich biodiversity comes with imminent challenges, particularly escalating human-elephant conflict (HEC) that threatens elephants and local communities. 

HEC in Laikipia County, especially West Laikipia, has historically been amongst the worst in East Africa, undermining food security and destroying the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people. The impact on the livelihoods of approximately 25 percent of Laikipia Counties’ population (2021 Census) who reside in West Laikipia, which is densely populated (over 100 persons per square km), is particularly severe. These communities, whose livelihoods are dominated by smallholder agriculture, suffer nightly crop raiding by predominantly bull elephants.

Since 2014, Space for Giants, in collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Laikipia County Government (LCG), has been at the forefront of responding to this escalating conservation and social development crisis.  Together, we have achieved the following: