Wildlife Conservation in the Mara

What they all have in common is their common goal of wanting tourism, conservation and the local Maasai people to work together for the benefit of all. Most of the conservancies derive income by leasing of land by the Maasai landowners living on that conservancy. The land is leased to high-end safari operators for approximately 15 years on end. Some of the conservancies still allow the Maasai to graze their cattle within the confines of the conservancy, others do not allow grazing by Maasai cattle. By leasing their lands to enable tourism, the Maasai people are guaranteed a steady monthly income stream from the safari operators. In an effort to ensure that Maasai communities benefit from tourism in their conservancies, safari camps located on the conservancies are required to contribute to community-development projects. Conservancies are the source of income for 3,000 landowners and their families, in total this accounts for 24,000 people.

Aside from the monetary benefits of establishing conservancies, the conservancies allow wildlife to live in peace and safety. Approximately 30% of Kenya’s wildlife lives within the conservancies. The various conservancies each have their own conservation programs aimed at protecting the Masai Mara’s wildlife and wilderness. Maasai landowners protect biodiversity within the conservancies, all the while following the Masai traditions that have been passed down for generations. The Maasai set out upon scout patrols, with the support of national security services, to protect the conservancies from illegal activities and to ensure the safety of wildlife, tourists and the Maasai who live in the conservancies. In addition to the above there are programs such as: a lion monitoring & tracking program led by a group of Maasai warriors known as the Simba Scouts, a predator protection initiative called 'Wildlife Pays'. Another way the conservancies strive to conserve the environment is by limiting the number of tourists visiting the conservancy at any one time. Each conservancy has its own maximum number of beds per square kilometres.