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.
The establishment of conservancies in the region has been attempted as a result of these causes. An area under private landowners’ or cooperative or community organizations’ management with the intention of advancing conservation is called a conservancy.
It’s interesting to note that more than 65 percent of Kenya’s wildlife is found on community-owned land. It benefits most communities by allowing them to maintain their standard of living while simultaneously protecting the environment. The Kenyan animals Act recognizes the transfer of animals to community conservancies.
Placing the conservation efforts of the wildlife in Kenya into the hands of the community is also an incentive to also improve the livelihoods of the people in the community. There are over 15 conservancies in the Masai Mara National park with over 450,000 acres of land. The conservancies bring in over $4 million every year into the community.
The fauna has also improved, with the number of lions and the critically endangered Hirola antelope. It rose from 48 in 2012 to over 100 in 2016, the year of the most recent census.
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. It in turn help to preserve the wildlife in the Masai Mara region.
Nyekweri Kimintet
The Nyekweri Kimintet community forest conservation trust was started in the year 2004 and is also a community based organization with its chair being Mr.Peter Tompoy. It was in 2021 transformed into a trust and it has over 18 permanent staff. It has partnerships with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association (MMWCA), Indigenous Information Network (IIN) & Africa Foundation (AF). This conservancy words on the co existence of wildlife together with the humans and their live stock. It’s part of the Siria plateau which is the best habitant for the pangolins in the area.
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