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RUSI Conference
Stabilisation through Conservation: Introducing a Grounded Alternative for
World Problems
Conservation efforts often depend upon the measure of political support afforded to them; but
how to conserve in areas of chronic instability which are less responsive to the policies and
interventions of central governments? This has been the predicament for those trying to save
Kenya’s elephant population. Despite banning the ivory trade, actively combatting poaching and
corruption, and voluntarily destroying national stockpiles of ivory, Kenya has seen its elephant
population decimated in recent years. The problem seems to be the increasingly lucrative trade in
illegal ivory. To use the favoured formula of commodity analysts, this is simply a case of reduced
supply (elephants) and expanded demand (largely due to the growth of Asia’s middle classes). It has
become clear that political will alone is not enough. A new approach to conservation is needed if
this negative trend is to be reversed.
With the majority of elephants being located outside of protected areas, conservation can only be
successful if built upon the support of local communities. However, it can be difficult to engage
rural communities in conservation, as they are often isolated and vulnerable to the incursions of
transnational elements. This problem is particularly acute in rural areas embroiled in violence as the
destruction of normal economic activity has pulled disenfranchised locals into criminal enterprises.
The Kenyan government’s response has been to work in partnership with the Tsavo Trust to
produce a ‘home-grown’, African-driven conservation concept: the ‘Stabilisation through
Conservation’ philosophy (‘StabilCon’). StabilCon addresses human needs as part of a holistic
approach that uses wildlife conservation as the catalyst for stabilising vulnerable rural areas,
undermining the drivers of wildlife crime, and building a secure and sustainable environment for
wildlife and people alike. The aim is to be pro-active rather than reactive and defensive.
To do this, StabilCon seeks to adopt an ‘ink spot’ approach, developing and expanding from small,
carefully-managed centres with Community Wildlife Conservancies. The first step will be the
deployment of professional anti-poaching units, recruited from local communities and trained to
meet local challenges. With minimum security, StabilCon will seek to build local economies—
particularly those which are nature-based—and educate on the ways in which wildlife contributes
to local prosperity. Once human needs have been addressed and the drivers of crime have been
curtailed, StabilCon seeks to safeguard the environment through science-based planning and
protected area management of the ecosystem. This will include zoning which accommodates
different land uses, accounting for biodiversity, population needs, and the availability of natural
resources. Over time these centres will link humans and wildlife together across wider areas.
Indeed, the hope is that StabilCon is a concept which can be applied internationally as a best-
practice framework for indigenous conservation solutions, which seeks to empower successful local
projects with international funding and contacts.

2. 01/12/14 LEWISTON, John
That’s the theory. That’s the ambition. But the proponents of StabilCon understand that the
concept is developing and will need to be tested and periodically updated to reflect new challenges
and dynamic operating conditions. Enter the University of Exeter’s Strategy & Security Institute (SSI)
and December’s conference at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). Senior practitioners in
security, conservation, development and stabilisation were invited to debate the concept of
StabilCon. The result was a formative contribution to a nascent learning process and direction for
SSI’s future research.
One of the primary concerns voiced by attendees was that StabilCon may be inappropriately
securitising conservation. Indeed, some feared that StabilCon’s avowed aim to create locally-
enforced ‘buffer zones’ around parks might place its constituent communities directly on the
frontline of operations against armed groups. The response was that this is already the reality for
these communities. Judi Wakhungu, Kenya’s Minister for Environment, Water & Natural Resources,
conceded that her very presence was indicative of the securitisation of conservation, but argued
that the illegal exploitation of wildlife and the targeting of proximate communities are already
prominent in the activities of terrorists and insurgents. This point was supported by Ambassador
Hussein Dado, the Governor of Tana River County in Kenya, who described how the disruption of
communal violence in his county had created a vacuum for transnational groups like al-Shabaab.
Therefore, what would be inappropriate would be to attempt to conserve without due
consideration for stabilisation operations. The fact that these communities were not being engaged
represented more of an opportunity than a risk, as valuable intelligence was available if locals could
be convinced that conservation was not solely a government issue.
These rebuttals raised a new point: was there really evidence that these illegal activities were
linked to terrorist operations? The challenges surrounding intelligence gathering make this a
difficult question to answer. Not only is the majority of revenue produced by illegal wildlife
trafficking untraceable, but many of the individuals participating in the enterprise are doing so on a
temporary basis before reverting to civilian roles. However, according to Iain Saunders of the Tsavo
Trust, the criminal elements in the region are so pervasive that the linkages between poaching and
violence are obvious on the ground, even if one could not tie a specific sale to a specific attack.
What is important is that the illegal trade in wildlife products is strengthening armed organisations.
Those in attendance at RUSI generally agreed that there was value to locally-sourced intelligence,
even if anecdotal, but still made the point that publishable evidence was necessary if adherents of
StabilCon were to secure more support for the concept. Perhaps more importantly, gathering more
evidence is important to StabilCon’s learning process and how it measures its success. Rigorous
testing will be needed to prevent solutions being formulated on occupational biases. Undoubtedly,
this will be an integral aspect of SSI’s future research into StabilCon.
StabilCon emphasises the need to counter poverty to remove the need and temptation to engage
in illicit activities. Ambassador Dado voiced the urgent need for education, employment and
income to bolster Kenya’s youth against radicalisation. Nevertheless, the next point of contention
came over economic development and where the needs of humans might contravene those of the

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animals. Of particular concern was whether StabilCon’s emphasis on human needs would facilitate
the expansion of extractive industries into conservation areas, principally where oil reserves have
been discovered. Some conservationists argued that the creation of jobs and infrastructure may not
justify the potential negative effects on wildlife and that large investment could even induce wider
corruption, threatening both conservation and stability. The response from StabilCon’s advocates
was that resource extraction also represented an opportunity for conservation funding and was
another reality that had to be accepted. StabilCon’s role was to ensure that extraction did not
subordinate environmental concerns and that viable institutions were built to counter corruption. It
has to be said that some attendees remained unconvinced, but it was then reiterated that this was
a Kenyan decision and those present believed that extraction could be complementary to StabilCon.
There were also concerns over trends such as population growth, though it was acknowledged that
this is a trend which could be described as a ‘wicked problem’; StabilCon can only remain flexible in
the face of future population control and movement. Drastic measures to counter population
trends for the sake of conservation can only be initiated by the Kenyan government.
With much of the debate having centred on conservation, the event concluded with a discussion of
stabilisation as a concept, led by Dr Christian Dennys of the Stabilisation Unit. For Dennys, ‘stability’
is the ability of a system to be able to withstand a number of shocks and return to a sort of
equilibrium. Crucially, this does not mean that stability is a frozen state. It is fluid and StabilCon will
have to adapt to how stability is interpreted differently in different places and over time. This
process will demand an appreciation of how stabilisation differs from development – it is a political
process, attempting to achieve a political effect, including through the use of military operations.
Coupled with this conceptual fluidity, StabilCon operations will have to stay mobile as threats
instinctively migrate away from where success is being achieved. This is why it is so vital that
StabilCon’s approach is community-driven; unlike international organisations, they are the only
entities which will be present for the timescale necessary to implement StabilCon.
Ultimately, the StabilCon philosophy is not a prescriptive ‘silver bullet’ which will resolve all of the
complexities surrounding conservation, but its potential was clear from the day’s discussions.
Community conservation groups and conservancies are a proven tool and the prospect of local
successes being matched with international finance, contacts and training is enticing. StabilCon’s
future depends upon an ongoing learning process and its implications for how we understand the
desired end states in different areas. December’s RUSI conference was a first step in a future which
will be built in partnership with academic institutes like Exeter’s SSI.