The Mara ecosystem still accounts for nearly 35% of the total wildlife species in Kenya. The species range from the big cats (lions, leopards, cheetahs) to the small hunters like Jackals. The predators are attracted to MSC ecosystem because of the plenty prey species (buffalos, zebras, elands, topis, cokes hartebeests, impalas and gazelles). Similarly, the woodland forests dotted with acacia biomes also provide ideal habitats for elephants and giraffes. Through the efforts of MCS’s rangers, the cases of poaching now dropped to zero in our area.

But the wildlife at Masai Mara is also endangered by scarcity of food. In 2019 around 666,000 livestock including cows, goats, sheep and donkeys were living in Narok County. This translates to a 250% increase since the 2009 census. These livestock numbers keep on exerting pressure on natural resources like pasture and water which are found in and outside conservancies. Overgrazing is one of the detrimental types of evidence that can be easily observed outside the conservancy boundaries endangering the livelihood of wildlife species. The Livestock overpopulation and overgrazing is aggravated by the traditional fixation of the Maasai culture on large herds of livestock as the prime indicator of prestige and social standing.

MSC manages the grasslands and protects certain areas from local livestock herds to preserve the feeding grounds of the wildlife. Due to increased cattle grazing pressure derived from declining grazing fields as a result of increased impacts of climate change. Conservancy rangers also manage Human Wildlife Conflict incidences by creating awareness to locals to control the activities along wildlife areas. Additionally, we resolve human wildlife conflicts in our area through the compensation of livestock killed by wildlife. With support from our partners, we also donate predator proof bomas and predator deterrent lights to community members who experience frequent wild predation on their cattle at night.

Through all our activities we aim to enhance wildlife awareness within the communities and spread knowledge about sustainable land use practices.

All the achievements of Mara Siana would not be possible without the support of the land owners within our conservancy. 1464 members of the association let their land to us contributing to the protection of wildlife habitats. As every member owns 6.5 acres we have about 9500 acres at command. The members enter into a 15-year management agreement with the conservancy and conversely receive a lease from our donor WWF Kenya. According to the determined regulations Mara Siana manages the lands and employees rangers to protect and monitor the resident wildlife populations.

​As many natural habitats are disconnected by urbanized areas and settlements another goal of Mara Siana’s community work is to establish corridors for the migration of wildlife. WWF Kenya therefore rewards owners of adjacent lands that renounce or opt against fencing of their property. Especially elephant populations profit from these efforts as they rely on large areas.
 

We aim to strengthen our community, to ensure participation of all members and to and reinforce solidarity. Each year we therefore host a meeting with all land owners to share updates on the conservation efforts and to discuss future developments.

As we see ourselves responsible to contribute to the development our our community, Mara Siana puts some of its funds into the school education of land owners with lower incomes.

Environmental Education

Through our environmental education programme we train kids in schools and raise awareness for our mission and environmental protection. We educate the students in the matter of human wildlife conflicts, poaching issues as well as the role of conservancies in society. Beyond that, we teach them about climate change,  pollution and solid waste management. We are currently active in 10 schools, two secondary and 8 primary schools where in each of them an association of max. 40 students was formed and representatives in each class were appointed. Through this, the students exchange their knowledge among themselves and pass the education to their classmates.

Family Planning

The demand for land and resources grows with the increasing of population. As Masai families tend to be large, it is often a challenge to provide school fees for all children in the family. To support the cultural shift towards smaller families, it is crucial to educate parents about their family planning options. MSC therefore holds events together with doctors to teach women in the community about contraception methods.

Conservancy Clean-Up

Because the Mara region still lacks a functioning waste management, littering of the environment remains a large issue. Along with the herding of cattle within the lands of the conservancy, more and more waste ends up in the habitat of wildlife. To prevent the area from pollution MSC regularly collects trash during patrols and Clean-Up events.

De-fencing

To facilitate the migration of animals, it is crucial to establish wildlife corridors. MSC therefore approaches especially landowners along the routes of animals and encourages them to take down fences from their property or not even begin fencing in first place. In group de-fencing events we engage with the community and educate people about the importance of de-fencing.

Energy saving jikos

Rainwater harvesting

Sustainable livestock herding

Tree planting