31 July 2013: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with funding from the Government of Kenya and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), has released the Kenya Wetlands Atlas and Master Plan for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Water Catchment Areas in Kenya. Both the Atlas and the Master Plan underscore the need for Kenya to undertake a range of conservation measures under the three pillars of wise use, wetlands of international importance, and international cooperation.

The Master Plan identifies water catchment pillars requiring critical conservation and sustainable management. It also identifies gaps and conflicts in current legislation, sets out a roadmap for integrated planning, and provides a framework upon which the Atlas’ recommendations shall be implemented.

The Atlas’ recommendations include: the need to urgently formulate and pass national wetlands policy setting out broad strategic goals to ensure wise use of wetlands, and the creation of a statutory wetlands law; the development of a comprehensive database of Kenya’s wetlands and wetland resources; the implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM); the restoration and rehabilitation of degraded wetlands; and the replication of existing initiatives fostering regional cooperation of transboundary wetlands to encompass critical wetlands shared by Kenya and its neighbors. The Atlas also recommends the designation of six new sites as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, including the Yala Swamp and the Saiwa Swamp. [UNEP Press Release] [Publication: Kenya Wetlands Atlas and Master Plan]