The wildlife in Kenya was untouched until over 80 years ago. When the exploration of the wildlife here started, there was rapid loss of the wildlife. Over the last 70 years, Kenya has lost over 30 percent of its wildlife due to many factors. Some of the factors are due to climate change while others are to human activity ns poaching.
It is due to these factors that there have been efforts to set up conservancies in the area. a conservancy is an area managed by private land owners or cooperate or community bodies with the aim of promoting conservation.
It’s interesting to note that more than 65% of Kenya’s wildlife is found on community-owned land, which contributes to both environmental conservation and the majority of communities’ ability to make a living. The Kenyan Wildlife Act recognizes the entrustment of wildlife to community conservation organizations.
Giving the local population control over Kenya’s wildlife conservation initiatives serves as a motivator to raise everyone’s standard of living. Across 450,000 acres, more than 15 conservancies are located within the Masai Mara National Park. A $4 million annual average is generated for the community by the conservancies.
There has also been improvement of wildlife from the number of lions to the endangered Hirola antelope from just 48 in the year 2012 to over 100 in 2016 when the last census was conducted.
Since the community is forced to profit from the positive aspects of the wildlife trade, namely tourism, their involvement in the area’s conservation efforts also lessens their involvement in the illicit wildlife trade. It is recommended that you visit the conservancies to help the locals, who will in turn help to preserve the wildlife in the Masai Mara region.
Mara Naboisho Conservancy
The Mara Naboisho Conservancy is made up of about 52,000 acres of land. They were donated by over 636 land owners in this community. This is common for the presence of the big cats of the Masai Mara. There are also large herds of elephants. Some of the other wildlife here are: giraffe, and wildebeest. The distribution of lions in this area is the best in the world. There are over 70 lions that have been recorded here. Other animals here are: Aardvark, Caracal, Serval cat, Aardwolf, and Ratel.
