In order to expand and improve their capacity to address wildlife issues in group ranches neighbouring national parks and reserves, ACC together with KWS and other partners has been assisting in the setting up of Community Game Scouts Associations. One example is the Amboseli/Tsavo Game Scout Association (ATGSA) drawn from 8 group ranches around Amboseli now boasts over 80 community scouts. The association is run by a secretariat consisting of a coordinator, a bookkeeper and a radio operator. Since the ban on trophy hunting and introduction of the scout’s initiative, elephant numbers have increased from 700 to about 1300 by 2004, an increase attributed to safety of elephants and other wildlife within the park and the group ranches. It is apparent that with the increase in the elephant numbers and other wildlife, it would be appropriate to improve on the security patrols in their extended range in the dispersal areas, as bush meat trade and human wildlife conflicts are already on increase.

The community game scouts play a crucial role in protecting wildlife in areas where the services of KWS cannot be reached due to shortage of rangers and other resources. In total there are 86 game scouts covering an area of over 500,000 hectares. Although this number cannot adequately and effectively cover the whole of this area, they greatly supplement the efforts of the less than 30 KWS rangers in the same area.
The Game scouts association is developing long-term strategies that will see it go through its programs effectively for a long time. This includes setting up of three public campsites within the group ranches targeting domestic tourists. The proceeds from these will go towards running the Scouts Association and accruing of conservation benefits to the host communities.
The movement has grown and there are an additional 30 Community scouts across the entire South Rift. The scouts have recorded considerable achievement in terms of arresting poachers, rescuing wounded animals, protecting threatened animals, controlling human-wildlife conflict and collecting scientific data on biodiversity. The scope of work that the scouts deal with is: Security patrols, Anti-poaching operations, Habitat & environmental, Human wildlife conflict mitigation, Wildlife and Ecological Monitoring, Caring for sick and wounded animals and Awareness creation and conservation education. To carry out their work well, there is a training program in which game scouts are selected to undergo para-military training at Manyani Field School, run by Kenya Wildlife Service.