Conservation of the archaeological heritage in Kenya's National Parks: a critique of policy and practice in the Tsavo

he DT 434.S74B8 The study focused on the conservation of the archeological heritage in Tsavo National Park. Archeological sites in Kenya's National Parks have not been managed as an integral part of the country's historical heritage. However, there have been many efforts directed towards c...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Busaka, Benard Mahagwa
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/1911
Description
Summary:he DT 434.S74B8 The study focused on the conservation of the archeological heritage in Tsavo National Park. Archeological sites in Kenya's National Parks have not been managed as an integral part of the country's historical heritage. However, there have been many efforts directed towards conservation of animal and plant species within the National Parks at the expense of cultural resources in the parks. The study, therefore, examined issues related to cultural resource management in Kenya's National Parks. The assumption is that both plant and animal species and archeological sites are part of the country's heritage and, therefore deserve to be protected. The broad objective of the study was to conduct archeological survey in Tsavo National Park, assess conditions of archeological sites, determine possible threats and examine the management policies relating to them. The study set out to achieve four specific objectives, based on three research premises. To achieve the first objective on physical and contextual conditions of sites, ground survey was conducted with assistance of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) staff to physically locate archeological sites in the park. I also used the site inventories at National Museums of Kenya to obtain samples of sites for study. Sample materials were also collected from the sites to establish the ages and significance of the sites. Conditions of sites were assessed to ascertain threats to the sites. To achieve this, observation of sample sites was carried out to get detailed description of geo-physical and contextual conditions of the sites. Checklists were also used to assess different forms of threats to the archeological heritage. Two Acts were analyzed, the Antiquities and Monuments Acts which aims at conserving archeological sites in the country, and the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act which governs National Parks. Interviews were also held with both NMK and KWS staff on the enforcement of the two acts. The findings revealed a high density of sites in low ...