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 and poaching.
There have been attempts to establish conservancies in the region as a result of these reasons. An area administered for the purpose of encouraging conservation by private landowners, cooperative organizations, or community groups is known as a conservancy.
Interestingly, more than 65 percent of Kenya’s wildlife is found on community-owned land. It supports most communities’ means of subsistence while promoting environmental conservation. Under Kenya’s Wildlife Act, wildlife entrustments to community conservancies are acknowledged.
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. More than $4 million is brought into the community annually by the conservancies.
The hirola antelope, which is endangered, has seen an increase in population from 48 in 2012 to over 100 in 2016, the year of the most recent census. This improvement is also seen in the number of lions.
The involvement of the community into the conservation efforts of the area also reduces their involvement into the illegal wildlife trade. They are made to earn on the good side of the wildlife trade which is tourism. You are advised to visit the conservancies in order to support the community and in turn you will also be supporting the conservation of wildlife in the Masai Mara area.
Mbokishi Mara Conservation
This conservancy is located in the north Eastern area of the Northern sector of the Masai Mara National Park. The conservancy was started in the year 2021. This conservancy is to help people in the area adapt to the model of conservancies. Like most conservancies, this conservancy words also towards convincing people to offer more land to run conservation activities for the wildlife in Kenya. It also provides mitigation services to make sure that the humans and their livestock can live in harmony with the wildlife here. It also helps the locals improve their agricultural skills and quality of the products.
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