Located some 45 kilometres from Mombasa, adjacent to the Shimba Hills National Reserve, there spreads the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary over an area of almost 243 square kilometres.
The sanctuary was formed in the early 1990s as a cooperative project, with the main intention to create a safe corridor for elephant migration between Mwaluganje Forest Reserve and Shimba Hills National Reserve. Since the human population grew exponentially and elephants were also gaining in numbers, conflicts were arising and foresight was nothing to be looking for. This community conservation programme is founded on local people leasing their land to a community-based trust. More than 200 families contributed their property to the reserve, agreeing not to farm this important elephant habitat. The trust manages the sanctuary with the prime goal of preserving and protecting elephants. No less important is minimizing the human-elephant interaction that often leads to a conflict. And, probably most important for the people living there, it contributes importantly to their welfare with money raised with entrance and conservational fees.
