Creation of job opportunities
The Maasai community is known for nomadic pastoralism. It as well did not embrace formal education at the go. Most youth, therefore, are semi-literate, hence with limited skills. The conservancies have helped mitigate the consequences of this by employing youth as rangers, drivers, herders and cooks.
We look forward to more job openings with the establishment of tourist facilities in PCA. This shall create the need for chefs, waiters, mechanics, room stewards, drivers and guides, laundry personnel and managers. Furthermore, the conservancy has a policy which advocates for the employment of at least 80% locals in any setup.
Generation of income
The Maasai community’s source of wealth is cattle. Moreover, the Maasai Mara landscape only supports cattle rearing as an economic activity due to weather conditions, and the presence of wildlife which makes crop farming impossible. However, due to climate change and hence frequent droughts cattle rearing is no longer sustainable.
Conservation is, therefore, a blessing in disguise for the Maasai. Through it, they have gained employee status as they visit the bank at the end of every month to collect a lease fee.
The women have also benefitted from beadwork activities within PCA and beekeeping has just been initiated by Maasai Mara Conservancies.
Improvement in living standards
With the monthly lease fee, most families are better fed, better clothed and shelter has improved to corrugated iron sheets houses from the traditional Maasai all mud manyatta. More children are sent to school and a good number are able to advance to secondary and tertiary levels. The cattle breed has also improved. The cattle numbers are reducing while the community is investing in Sahiwal, Borana breeds to cross-breed with the local Zebu for better quality and price. There is better lighting as most families have invested in solar systems and better preservation of our flora with buying of gas cylinders and stoves. Rainwater harvesting alike with purchase and installation of water tanks.
Reforestation
Pardamat Conservation Area was lucky to secure funds from the Norwegian Agency for Development for reforestation programs. Tree planting is being carried out in schools, churches, dispensaries and trading centres. This goes hand in hand with our defencing program from which we get the materials to fence in tree seedlings to protect them from goats. PCA is mostly open Savannah and scattered bushes, a landscape characteristic attributable to the Maasai Mara ecosystem.
Hopefully, this changes to more forest providing fresh air, preventing soil erosion, providing shade, more habitat for wildlife and frequent rain.
Mitigation of human-wildlife conflict
PCA has raised funds from USAID in 2017 through 2019 to establish predator-proof bomas in HWC prone areas. It has also opened critical corridors by bringing down fences enabling wildlife to roam without breaking into homesteads. The security team has come in handy in chasing out elephants, buffaloes and lions that break into fenced settlement areas.
PCA has secured a consolation grant which is to be matched by the landowners. When this happens there shall be a fee given to landowners whenever their livestock is attacked and injured or killed by predators.
Security
PCA has a well-trained security team. It has beefed up general security in the area. They are respected and called upon in areas of conflict including trading centres. Through their effort, there is much reduced if not eradicated elephant poaching, logging and charcoal burning. They have controlled illegal grazing in rangeland core areas and preserved grass for the PCA steers. They have helped reduce wildlife that succumbs to death due to electrocution. They promptly chase away these animals by use of crackers and joint effort with rangers from other conservancies and the Mara Elephant Project.
Education support
Through the Norwegian Agency for development grant and a matching fund by the PCA landowners, we were able to disburse bursary to children of landowners at the beginning of the year. Furthermore, we have partnered with institutions through Mara Conservancies, such as the Mara Discovery Centre, Narok West Technical College, The Koyiaki Guiding School and Karen Blixen Cooking School to enrol high school graduates so that they gain technical skills which prepare them for the job market.
A decrease in land sale
In the early 2000s, growing land fragmentation began to lead to the environmental degradation of the Maasai Mara ecosystem and exacerbated community impoverishment. With the acquisition of individual land parcels, most of the locals opted to dispose of theirs due to the need for money, a rare gem then. With the inception of conservancies and monthly lease fee payments and the long term agreement entered into this has reduced tremendously.