Inspiring a landscape of conservationists
Kenya’s most important wildlife and tourism area and one of Africa’s most iconic landscapes is also a space under threat, due to fencing, development, population growth, and other pressures. In response, Maasai landowners and tourism operators together formed conservancies surrounding the Maasai Mara National Reserve, actually doubling the size of conserved land across the ecosystem.
The Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association (MMWCA) coordinates the development and running of these conservancies, and has helped them successfully earn millions of dollars in revenue while also seeing the return and growth of key wildlife species, such as lions, elephants and wild dogs.
More conservancy land, means more land under conservation. And more money going to landowners means more incentive to keep land intact and wild.