Land Ownership Model Is Restoring Biodiversity, Empowering Communities in Kenya — Global Issues
Nairobi, 2/11 (IPS) – When the Mara Siana Reserve opened in 2016, there was a zebra and a topi (antelope) in the valley just outside the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya . The valley is also home to less than 150 elephants and 200 buffaloes.
The herd of elephants now has more than 300 individuals, and the buffalo herd is more than 400. The number of zebras and topi has also expanded into a fairly large population. Same for lions – the number of cubs has increased to five from one. One pride can include from 10-30 individual animals.
“And now we are seeing the emergence of wild dogs like never before in the entire ecosystem,” said Samson Lenjirr, WWF’s landscape coordinator in charge of the Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania program. Thai Mara.
A pack of feral dogs of about 20 were sighted in the ecosystem in March 2021.
Before the establishment of the reserve, the area was just a campsite for herders. As a result, there is little room for wildlife to roam, leading to the degradation of the region’s ecosystem over time due to overgrazing and overgrazing.
However, after the formation of the reserve, a land-use regime was introduced, “introducing what is known as a ‘large grazing ground’, where the reserve is only opened for grazing four times a year” , Evans Sitati, Mara explains Director of Siana Conservancy.
In other words, communities can graze their cattle in the reserve in January during low tourist season and when pasture is often scarce in surrounding areas due to drought.
Access to the reserve is also allowed in May, when the grass is high, just before wildebeest migrations, and in September, when visitor numbers at tourist camps are low. Otherwise, access to the reserve is when permission is granted upon request.
Conservation of Mara Siana serves another essential purpose for particular animals. It became a refuge for elephants during the wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
“The elephants don’t like to mix with wildebeest, given the sheer numbers and noise they make, so they move into the sanctuary,” Sitati explains.
Lions hide in the sanctuary during the rainy season when the grass is tall. These big cats prefer shorter, dry grass so as not to interfere with their hunting.
The success of this model stems from the extensive participation of the community. Each community member contributed 6.5 acres to establish the reserve under the lease.
This means the community is left with 35 acres outside the reserve, where they live and graze livestock.
“We are getting a small percentage of the income from conservation every year,” said Abraham Sakoi, one of the 500 land donors, adding that students in the community have benefited from the repositories provided by the reserve.
Additionally, two holiday camps – Entumoto Safari Camp and Spirit of the Maasai Mara – are paying rents of up to 6 million Kenyan shillings ($50,000) annually, profiting between 8,000 and 10,000 people. The entire Siana Conservancy lease is worth 35 million Kenyan shillings (US$290,000), also supported by WWF.
The arrangement is such that in addition to the accommodation fees paid by foreigners in these motels, $20 per night goes into the kittens. Kenyan citizens only pay a fee of less than $2.
The Mara Siana Conservation is a prime example of a community management model that not only restores biodiversity in degraded ecosystems, but also economically empowers communities in the process.
While the issue of biodiversity loss has come into focus in recent years, ways to reverse this trend remain an interesting point. Indeed, countries cannot seem to agree on a global biodiversity plan.
The Global Biodiversity Framework (a 2030 action plan for nature) in Geneva in March and then in Nairobi has stalled financially. These issues will be the focus at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) in the negotiations of the Convention on Biological Diversity scheduled to take place in Montreal, Canada, from 5-17 / twelfth.
Report of the United Nations Office IPS
By @IPSNewsUNBureau
Follow IPS News UN Office on Instagram
© Inter Press Service (2022) – All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service
