Conservation enterprises are commercial activities designed to create benefit flows that support a conservation objective. The Koija ‘Starbeds’ Ecolodge was created jointly by a community group, a private sector partner and the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) to help protect a critical wildlife corridor and habitat along the Ewaso Nyiro River in the Samburu Heartland (www.awf.org). Many conservation enterprises claim success mainly based on their noble intentions,
but in fact are heavily subsidized commercial projects. Six years after the Koija enterprise opened for business, this paper looks at its performance based on the triple bottom line of commercial success, conservation impact and improvement of livelihoods. The paper concludes that the Koija Starbeds have shown very good commercial success, with good but less clear-cut results on conservation impact and livelihoods. The paper also makes recommendations for future conservation enterprises in similar areas in Kenya.